A Recipe For Disaster
by emodetron
Summary: AU. Sara meets Lincoln while she's working, and they begin a relationship and become engaged. Michael comes home from being away for a year and meets his brother's fiance, and Sara realized she has stronger feelings for her fiance's brother.
1. Chapter 1

A Recipe For Disaster

Chapter One

"Sara, you have a patient in exam room six," a nurse called. Sara Tancredi groaned softly, running a hand through her hair. She was exhausted. Ten more minutes, and then she would be able to go home and sleep. She was near the end of a double shift, her second this week. Licking her dry lips, she picked up the patient's file, glancing over the situation.

"Bee sting?" she asked, glancing up at the nurse. "You've got to be kidding me," she said. The nurse shrugged and Sara ran a tired hand over her face before she moved to exam room six. Opening the door, she glanced down at the file, looking for anything about the bee sting that would bring the person into the Emergency Room.

"Hello, my name is Dr. Tancredi, what can I do for you?" she asked, sitting on the stool and glancing up at the patient for the first time. She recognized him right away and a small smile graced her face.

"Hey, Doc," the man said, smiling as well. Sara set the patient file on the desk behind her and crossed her arms across her chest.

"Lincoln Burrows," she nodded in his direction. Lincoln had been one of her long-term patients a few months ago. He had been in a car accident, some jerk was drinking and driving and ran a red light, crashing right into Lincoln's car going full-speed. It was a miracle that Lincoln made it. Due to his extensive stay, Sara saw a lot of him. She remembered how he didn't want them to contact anyone in his family, he didn't want to unnecessarily worry them. "What can I do for you, Linc?" she asked. Lincoln smiled.

"Well, if you're offering …" he trailed off and Sara smiled, shaking her head. She was used to his innuendos and such.

"Lincoln, the bee sting," she pointed.

"Oh! Right," he smiled. "I just wasn't sure if it was a good idea to take the stinger out myself, or if I should let you. Or … whoever the doctor is," he said. Sara rolled her eyes and smiled, standing up and grabbing some gloves and pulling them on.

"You know, Linc, if you wanted to come by and see me you didn't have to wait to get yourself stung by a bee," she teased, moving over and glancing at his shoulder where the bee sting was. She grabbed a pair of tweezers and pulled the stinger out, holding it up to show him.

"Well, I've been busy. And by the bags under your eyes, I'm guessing that you have too," he said, raising a brow. "Plus, I couldn't resist the prospect of having a beautiful woman kiss my booboo and make it all better," he smirked. Sara laughed and shook her head.

"You're too much, Linc," she said, putting the stinger into a plastic bag and then into the Biohazard bin. She pulled off her gloves. "When you get home, just put some baking soda and water on that sting wound," she instructed. Lincoln nodded and mock saluted her.

"Yes, ma'am," he smiled. Sara laughed and shook her head, getting up to leave. She opened the door and glanced back at him, a small smile on her face.

"It was good to see you again, Linc," she said. She moved to leave but was stopped when Lincoln called her name.

"Sara, wait," he called, pulling his jacket on and hopping off the exam table. Sara turned around to face him. "What would you say if I, hypothetically, asked you out to dinner?" he asked. Sara raised a brow and smiled.

"Excuse me?" she asked.

"Well, I just wondered if I should go ahead and ask you, or if I shouldn't because you'd turn me down," he smiled at her and crossed his arms over his chest as he waited for her answer. Sara didn't say anything for a minute and then she let out a small laugh.

"You came in to ask me out on a date?" she asked. Lincoln shrugged.

"I thought it might be a tad bit classier than calling the hospital and leaving a message for you. Although, I did consider that," he smiled. Sara laughed again, shaking her head.

"Like I said before, Lincoln, you are too much," she smiled and began leaving the room.

"So, is that a yes?" he asked from the doorway, his hands in his pockets.

"That's a maybe," she called over her shoulder. She turned to face him and held up his file. "I'll call you," she said, giving him a smile and turned around again, moving to the nurse's station. Lincoln smiled and nodded to himself in satisfaction, moving over to the door.

Sara asked the nurse there for a post-it note and she copied down Lincoln's phone number, slipping the paper into the pocket of her scrubs. She gave the nurse a small smile before she turned in Lincoln's file. She clocked out and then went to the locker room to put her lab coat away and grabbed her jacket and purse. Closing her locker and locking it, she headed out and waved to the people who said goodbye to her as she walked out to her car.

-----

Once at home, Sara went right into her bathroom, removing her clothes and turning on the tap on her bathtub. She got the water to a comfortable temperature, not too hot, but warmer than her showers usually were. Changing her mind at the last minute, she dug her drain stopper out from underneath the sink and plugged the drain. She found and unopened bottle of bubble bath under her sink as well and opened it, pouring the soapy liquid under the running water. Suds immediately began covering the surface of the water and Sara smiled to herself. A bubble bath was just what she needed to relax.

A good two hours later, Sara emerged from her bathroom wrapped up in her big and fluffy bath robe. Moving into the kitchen, her stomach grumbled and she groaned at the thought of having to cook anything. Opting to order in, she grabbed some menus off her kitchen counter and moved into her living room to browse through them on her couch. She quickly decided on Chinese food and placed her order.

Waiting for her food to arrive, Sara tried to think of something to cure her momentary boredom. That's when she remembered Lincoln's phone number in her scrubs. Hopping off the couch, she headed into the bathroom to dig the number out of the pocket before throwing the scrubs into her dirty laundry. Staring at the number for a few moments, Sara shook her head and picked up her phone, dialing. She drummed her fingers on the armrest of her sofa while she waited for someone to answer.

"Hello?" she heard his voice and smiled.

"Lincoln?" she asked.

"Yeah, who's this?" he asked. Sara cleared her throat.

"It's Sara," she said. "Tancredi," she clarified after a moment. Lincoln smiled on his end.

"Well, hello Sara," he paused, "Tancredi," he teased. Sara laughed.

"I told you that I would call," she said.

"Uh-huh. Abusing your position as a doctor to use my file and get my phone number," he teased. Sara rolled her eyes.

"Oh, knock it off. You're the one who came in to the ER to ask me out," she reminded him. Lincoln laughed.

"True," he said. "Did you think about that, by the way?" he asked.

"Yes, actually, I did," she said.

"And…?" Lincoln prompted. Sara smiled.

"And I guess I can do dinner one night," she accepted. Lincoln smiled and pumped his hand in the air once.

"Good decision," he said. Sara shook her head, but was smiling.

"Someone's very into themselves," she smirked.

"Yeah, well …" he trailed off and smiled. "So when are you available?" he asked. Sara heard her buzzer and she got up to let the food guy in.

"Um … well I work the night shift tomorrow, but then I'm off on Saturday. How does that sound?" she asked. She opened her door and took the food from the man, paying him and thanking him.

"Saturday. Okay, Saturday night. Is this going to be a real date? Like, letting me pick you up and everything?" he asked. Sara smiled.

"I guess you could pick me up," she said, moving into her kitchen to grab a can of soda from her fridge.

"You're going to trust me with knowing where you live?" Lincoln asked, smirking. Sara laughed.

"Oh. Good point. Maybe we should meet somewhere," she smiled.

"Hey, that hurts my ego," he teased. Sara laughed again. She couldn't remember laughing this much in awhile.

"Oh, well it's so big that you can afford for a little of it to be hurt," she smiled.

"How would you know how big it is?" Lincoln smirked. Sara blushed and put her hand over her face.

"Lincoln," she said in a warning-ish tone.

"I'm sorry. You set yourself up for that. But anyway, you're probably right. I do have a big ego," he said. Sara shook her head, her hand still on her blushing cheek.

"Yeah. I'm kidding though. You can pick me up," she said. She gave him her address and he told her that he knew where it was.

"So I'll pick you up around 7 o'clock," he said. Sara nodded.

"Okay. What should I wear?" she asked.

"Um, nothing works for me," Lincoln said. Sara rolled her eyes and laughed again.

"Lincoln," she said. "I meant, are you taking me to a nice restaurant, or to McDonald's?" she asked.

"Ouch. Jeans will be fine though. Preferably tight ones," he said.

"Explain to me again why I agreed to go out with you?" Sara asked as she blushed again.

"Because you find me irresistible," he answered matter-of-factly.

"Oh, that must be it," she smiled, rolling her eyes yet again.

"See? I told you. I'm an irresistible guy," Lincoln informed her.

"Uh-huh. Well, as riveting as this conversation has been, I've got to get going so that I can eat and then get to bed. I'm exhausted," she said.

"Well if you're still tired on Saturday, we can always do dinner at your place," he smirked.

"Goodbye, Lincoln," she smiled.

"Bye Sara. See you on Saturday," he smiled. Sara hung up the phone and shook her head. She opened her food and began eating it, smiling to herself as she did so. She had a date Saturday night. A real date. She swallowed her food and took a deep breath. Christ, a date.

End Chapter One

10-17-06


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Notes:** I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter, but let me know what you guys think. I'm already working on chapter three, but it's kind of giving me a hard time. We'll have to see how my muse decides to take things. )

A Recipe For Disaster

Chapter Two

Sara opened the door to her apartment and was surprised by the smell that greeted her. Her stomach began growling as she smelled the spaghetti sauce and she smiled, moving toward her kitchen. Just as she expected, she saw a tall and muscular man standing at her stove, stirring a pan of spaghetti sauce. She watched Lincoln for a few moments before she cleared her throat and spoke.

"You really have to learn how to cook more than spaghetti," she said, pushing herself off the doorframe and moving further into her kitchen. Lincoln turned around and smiled.

"But then that would take the fun out of it. Now, every time you eat spaghetti, you'll think of me. I'll haunt you forever," he smirked. Sara shook her head and smiled, pulling off her coat and draping it over the back of one of her chairs in the kitchen.

"Sure, I think you're already going to haunt me for life. Explain why I gave you a key again?" she asked, brushing her hair out of her face. Lincoln smirked and grabbed her wrist, pulling her to him and wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Because you wanted me to surprise you with spaghetti," he nodded, leaning down and placing a kiss on her lips. Sara laughed against his lips as she felt his hands slipping under the waistband of her pants.

"Lincoln," she scolded, pulling away. "I just got home from work. My hair's a mess, I've probably got bags under my eyes, and I'm still wearing my scrubs. You can't possibly want to have sex with me now," she said. Lincoln raised a brow and let go of her, taking a step back and holding out his hand to her.

"Hi, I'm Lincoln Burrows. I don't believe we've met," he teased. Sara reached an arm up and smacked his shoulder.

"Smartass. Go stir the sauce," she pointed behind him at the stove and then moved into her bedroom to change into her pajamas. They were so much more comfortable.

She and Lincoln had been seeing each other for a little over five months. Sara really enjoyed being with him, he was such a nice and thoughtful man, and he treated her right. She didn't really feel that … connection with Lincoln that she expected to feel with the man she loved, but she assumed that it would come with time. Looking into the mirror, she sighed softly to herself as she pulled her hair back. She heard plates clattering in the kitchen, so she assumed that the spaghetti was done. Giving herself one last glance in the mirror, she shrugged and then moved out to the kitchen to enjoy a late dinner with her boyfriend.

-----

Another month had gone by and Sara still hadn't felt that connection with Lincoln that she'd been expecting. She had never really been in love before, so she wasn't sure what it felt like. Sure, she had college boyfriends, but those were mostly based off of lust and sex. That didn't mean she loved them. Maybe what she felt for Lincoln was love, because she hadn't felt for any of those old boyfriends what she felt for him. How was she supposed to know?

Lincoln was taking her out to dinner for their six month anniversary, and she was really looking forward to it. She had never been in a relationship that lasted six months, it was kind of a milestone for her, as well as them. She heard a soft knock on her door and she smiled, getting off the couch and going to let Lincoln in. Even though he had a key, most of the time he still knocked to be let in if he knew she was home. Pulling open the door, Sara smiled at the sight. Lincoln was dressed in a nice pair of black pants and a blue button-up shirt. He had the top few buttons undone and was wearing a wife beater underneath.

"Hey there. What's up, doc?" he asked, then leaned in and pressed a soft hello kiss to her lips. She smiled and let him in. "You look absolutely gorgeous," he complimented her. Sara blushed.

"Thank you. You look very handsome yourself," she returned. Sara was wearing a black dress that was sleeveless and came down to right below her knees. She had curled her hair and let it hang around her shoulders.

"So, shall we?" Lincoln asked, holding out his hand. Sara smiled and nodded, taking his hand and they left her apartment.

Dinner at the restaurant was really good. Lincoln had impressed her by making reservations at a really nice place. He seemed kind of fidgety, but she didn't think anything of it. Once their food had been cleared off the table, Sara took a sip of her soda. Lincoln didn't want to drink any alcohol since he was driving, and Sara didn't want to drink by herself. So they both ordered sodas.

"You having a good time?" Lincoln asked. She smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, I'm having a great time," she confirmed. Lincoln took a deep breath.

"You know I love you, right?" Lincoln asked. Sara smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, I know. Me too," she said. Lincoln told her that he loved her often. She always said 'me too' or 'ditto', never the actual words. She wanted to be sure they were true before she said them.

"We should get married," he said. Sara glanced over at him and choked on her soda.

"What?" she asked.

"We should get married," he repeated. "I mean, not tomorrow. We can have a long engagement. And I really want you to meet my brother. If he ever gets home from this job he's doing out in Washington," he continued.

"Lincoln, we don't have to be engaged for me to meet your brother," she insisted, totally taken by surprise at the idea.

"I know that. But I think we should do it. What do you say?" he asked. Sara stared at him for a few moments. She had a random thought to ask him if he needed a Green card, but she knew that he didn't.

"You're being serious?" she asked.

"Of course I am," he said sincerely. Sara swallowed, licking her lips.

"I don't know, Linc. It's really sudden, I have to think about it," she said. Lincoln nodded.

"That's fair. I did kind of spring that on you," he said. Sara nodded.

-----

Lincoln dropped her off outside her apartment and she gave him a kiss, getting out of the car and going inside. Once in her apartment, she leaned against the door, closing her eyes. He proposed to her. It wasn't exactly the proposal she always dreamed of, but it was still touching. Lincoln loved her, and he wanted to marry her. What was she supposed to do? She ran her hands over her face. She knew that she cared for Lincoln deeply, he was the most important person in her life.

The more Sara thought about it, the more sense it made. She thought for a few more seconds before she grabbed her purse and keys, opening her door to go down to her car. On her way out her door, she collided with someone and glanced up at their face. It was Lincoln. He held up her cell phone.

"You left this in my car," he explained. Sara smiled and nodded.

"Yes!" she said, hugging him. Lincoln laughed and patted her back.

"Whoa, Sara, calm down. It's just a cell phone," he said. Sara pulled away and laughed, shaking her head.

"No, you idiot. Yes, I'll marry you!"

End Chapter Two

10/19/06


	3. Chapter 3

A Recipe For Disaster

Chapter Three

Business trips were never something that Michael Scofield particularly enjoyed. He didn't like to be away from his home in Chicago, he was comfortable there. Chicago was a city he knew, a city he loved. So being told by his boss that he was to take a trip to Washington to oversee the opening of a new branch of the company didn't exactly make Michael happy. Especially when his boss had added the word 'indefinitely'. That meant he was leaving his home for an unknown amount of time. As much as Michael wanted to tell his boss no, he knew he couldn't. He wanted to progress in the company, and sometimes that required a few sacrifices.

Michael had been in Washington for a little over a year. The work that had to be done was coming to a close, and he was able to return home soon. Or, so his boss said. Arriving back at the condo that the company was paying for, he slumped down onto the couch. It had been such a long day. This whole 6am-8pm deal had to go. And soon. Glancing over his shoulder, Michael's gaze landed on the kitchen. He knew there was an ice cold beer in there, but he lacked the energy to move from the couch. Forcing himself up, he staggered into the kitchen and pulled one of the beers out of the fridge. Twisting off the cap, he threw it into the trash. There was a low pitched ringing coming from the living room and Michael groaned. He hoped that it wasn't work asking him to come back. Slowly, he headed out and grabbed his cell phone, glancing at the ID. Letting out an audible sigh of relief, he flipped open the phone.

"Linc, what's up?" he asked, plopping down on the couch again. The call was from his older brother, back home in Chicago. He and Lincoln shared a condo back home, and while he was sure that Lincoln enjoyed the time alone, he knew he probably missed him. Because Michael missed him.

"Hey Mike. Not much up here. Got some news," Lincoln said. Michael smiled.

"Oh yeah? What news?"

"I'm engaged!" Lincoln exclaimed. Michael was silent for a few seconds. "Mike? You there?" Lincoln urged.

"Uh … yeah. I'm here. Just … shocked," Michael stated.

"I know. Who ever thought I'd be the settling down type?"

"Lincoln … who is this girl? When I left, you weren't seeing anyone," Michael pointed out.

"Oh, Michael, don't do your whole 'I must think everything out rationally' thing. Please," Lincoln begged.

"Doesn't it seem a little soon? To be engaged to a girl already?"

"No. I love her, Michael. Why can't you just be happy for me?" Lincoln asked, and Michael sighed.

"I am … I am happy for you, Linc. I'm happy you found someone who means something to you. But … engaged? Slow down some," Michael rationalized. He heard Lincoln sigh.

"I just called to tell you the news. But obviously you're too … _you_ … to care,' Lincoln said. Michael was about to object again, but Lincoln cut him off. "Nice talking to you, Michael," he said, and then Michael's phone connection was cut. Lincoln must have hung up.

Michael sighed and set his phone on the table in front of him and picked up his beer. Lincoln was obviously upset with him, and it annoyed him. All he was doing was looking out for him … the same thing Lincoln had done for him so many times before.

Michael glanced at the clock. 8:30pm. That meant it was 10:30pm in Chicago. Lincoln was probably sitting on the couch drinking a beer … the same thing Michael was doing. He contemplated calling Lincoln back to apologize, but then reconsidered. Lincoln might be over his girlfriend … er, fiancé's place. He had no idea what Lincoln did with his time anymore. Sighing, Michael finished his beer, decided against having another, and got up to take a shower. He'd think in the morning.

-----

Lincoln hung up the phone and threw it onto the chair next to the couch he was sitting on. He figured, of all people, Michael would be happy for him. He figured wrong. Michael was being his over-analytical self. The way Michael analyzed every single fucking detail bothered Lincoln. He didn't know why Michael couldn't just be happy for him for once.

Sara had a long day at work, she had so many patients coming into the ER. She superstitiously blamed it on the full moon, but knew rationally that the moon had nothing to do with it. Putting her keys into the lock, she opened her door and headed into her apartment, smiling when she saw Lincoln sitting on her couch. She then frowned when she noticed that he was leaning forward and holding his head in his hands.

"Lincoln?" she called. Lincoln glanced up and gave her a small smile. "Are you okay?" she asked, concerned. Lincoln nodded.

"Yeah … I'm fine. I just got off the phone with Michael," he said. Sara's brow furrowed and she put her bag and keys down by the door, moving over to the couch to sit next to him.

"Your brother?" she asked. Lincoln nodded.

"Yeah. I told him about you. About us."

"And I'm guessing he didn't take it too well?" she asked. Lincoln sighed and shook his head.

"No. He kept saying that it's too soon. That I can't possibly know that I want to be with you."

"Lincoln," Sara said softly, turning to him. "What does he know? He doesn't know me, he's never seen us together," she insisted.

"I know. I don't know why he can't just be happy for me. He's got this analytical nature, he has to over-analyze every damn thing," he said. Sara shook her head and ran her hand over Lincoln's head before turning it to face her. She gave him a soft kiss and smiled.

"We have each other, right?" she said. Lincoln smiled and nodded.

"Right," he wrapped an arm around he shoulders and pulled her closer to him, kissing her forehead. "You're so smart," he smiled.

"Well, I _am_ a doctor," she teased. He laughed.

"I thought it was my turn to be the doctor. Come here, ma'am, I need to take your temperature," he joked. Sara laughed and smacked his arm.

"You're a big perv," she said. Lincoln smirked and shrugged.

"Would you have me any other way?" he asked. Sara turned her head to him and shook it.

"Nope," she stated simply. Lincoln stood up and picked Sara up, carrying her back to the bedroom.

"Come on, you. Let me take that temperature."

-----

"Flight 1250, Seattle to Chicago is now boarding," Michael glanced up from his book when he heard the announcement. That was his flight. Marking his page with a swan made out of paper, he closed the book and stood up. Grabbing his carry-on bag, he followed the crowd over to the terminal and handed the woman his ticket. After she inspected the ticket to make sure he was in the right place, she smiled at him.

"Enjoy your flight, sir," she said. Michael smiled and nodded, taking his ticket back from her.

"Thank you," he said politely. Walking down the hall to the plane, he got in and made his way over to his seat, lifting his carry-on into the compartment over his seat, and then got situated in his seat.

Glancing out the window, he let out a soft sigh. It felt so good to be going home, he couldn't wait. He missed Chicago, he missed his brother. He hadn't talked to Lincoln since that phone call, and he felt kind of bad about not telling Lincoln he was coming home. He hoped that he didn't walk into anything in his apartment. At the thought of what he might walk in on, he made a face and sighed, leaning his head back against the headrest. A few hours, and then he'd finally be back home.

His last thought before he drifted off was that he hoped Lincoln knew what he was doing.

End Chapter Three

10-25-06


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: I know this chapter took forever to get out, and I apologize. But I got my muse back, and have the rest of the story plotted out, now it's just writing it that's left. I don't think the muse for this story will leave anytime soon. Or, at least I hope not! Thanks to all the readers who are sticking with me, I know I left you hanging and I'm so sorry! But, I'm pretty sure I'm back for good now.

A Recipe For Disaster

Chapter Four

Michael dropped his bag outside the door and dug in his pocket for his keys. You'd think he would have gotten them out during the cab ride home, but he wasn't thinking for once. Sighing in relief when he unlocked the door, he entered the condo and closed the door behind him.

"Home sweet home," he murmured. Glancing around, he noticed that there was nobody there. He lugged his suitcases back to his bedroom and began unpacking.

An hour later, Michael was unpacked and had started a load of laundry. He had just settled down on the couch when he heard a key in the lock. Lincoln must be home.

Lincoln unlocked the door to his apartment, Sara behind him. They had gone to the grocery store, Sara was going to teach him how to cook more than just spaghetti. Starting tonight with tacos. Closing the door behind them, Lincoln turned around and saw someone sitting on his couch. At first he was surprised and alarmed, but he soon recognized the individual on the couch.

"Michael?" he asked. The man turned his head and Lincoln smirked, setting his bags down. Michael got up off the couch and smiled at his brother.

"Hey, Linc," he said. Lincoln smiled and hugged his brother. Michael returned the hug.

"How was Washington? Did you bring me anything?" Lincoln asked. Michael laughed and shook his head.

"What are you, five?" he teased. Someone cleared their throat behind them and both brothers glanced at the doorway.

"Oh! Right … Michael, this is Sara," Lincoln began, moving over to his fiancé. "Sara, this is my brother Michael," he introduced the strangers to each other. Michael was the first to speak. He cleared his throat and moved over to her, holding out his hand.

"Nice to meet you, Sara," he said, giving her a small smile. He let his eyes roam, discreetly of course, over his brother's fiancé. She seemed like a nice woman, from what he could tell so far. And his brother seemed a little smitten with her. Okay … a lot smitten. Lincoln had a tendency to do that, though, which was what worried him about the fast engagement. Lincoln got smitten with things, and then grew bored easily. But Michael decided that he'd keep his mouth shut for now, and just let Lincoln live his life. He'd keep a close eye on them, though.

Sara couldn't help but smile when Michael held out his hand to her. Not many people still greeted new people by handshake anymore. She shifted the bag in her arms and held her hand out to him, returning his handshake. "Nice to meet you, too," she said. Lincoln reached over and took the bag from her, carrying it and the bag he set down into the kitchen.

"Sara's going to teach me how to make tacos," he informed his brother. Michael raised a brow, impressed.

"Yeah, I'm kind of sick of spaghetti," Sara laughed, shrugging her shoulders. Michael joined in and shook his head.

"I don't blame you. I grew up off of his spaghetti, which is why I refuse to eat it now that I can cook my own food," he said, glancing at his brother and giving him a small smile. Lincoln pointed a finger at him.

"Oh, you shut up. When you were little you used to beg me to make spaghetti," Lincoln reminded him. Michael laughed.

"You're making it sound like you weren't younger, too," he added, raising a brow. Sara watched the two of them interact, a small smile on her face. She liked that Lincoln and his brother were close, but she figured that was a given, seeing as how Lincoln practically raised Michael.

"Yeah, but anyway. I'm learning how to make tacos, so you won't have to ever ear my spaghetti again," Lincoln defended.

"Right. Now you're going to ruin tacos for me," Michael teased. Lincoln threw a salt shaker at his brother and Michael laughed.

"Okay, babe … come here and show me how it's done," Lincoln said, throwing away the empty shopping bags. Sara smirked.

"You think teaching you is showing you?" she asked, glancing over at Michael before returning her gaze to Lincoln. "I'm going to tell you what to do, and you're going to do it," she said. Michael raised a brow.

"I'll leave you guys to it," he said, then gave them both a small smile, backing out of the kitchen. He headed into his bedroom, moving over to his bed and collapsing on it. He was tired, the last year had kicked his ass. He pulled out his laptop and laid on his bed on his stomach, checking his e-mail. The first one was from his boss, saying that he had decided to give Michael two weeks paid vacation for doing such a great job in Washington. Michael was glad, he was exhausted. There was no way he'd be able to get up and go to work again on Monday.

While laying there, his mind wandered to his brother and his fiancé. He wasn't sure what Lincoln was doing. Sara wasn't the type of woman he usually went for, Lincoln's type was more the big-breasted blonde bimbo. Sara didn't seem to be anything like that. Maybe his brother was finally maturing. Or maybe there was something else going on that he wasn't aware of. Whatever it was that was going on, Michael was sure that someone was going to walk away hurt.

-----

Back in the kitchen, Sara had Lincoln browning the meat for the tacos. She was leaning against the counter, her arms crossed and watching him. He had been doing pretty well so far, he didn't burn the meat or anything. "If you think about it, Linc, tacos are probably ten times easier than spaghetti. All you really have to do is brown the meat and put the flavoring on it. And then you're done. From there, you just put all the fixings on it that you want," she explained.

Lincoln turned off the burner and grabbed the packet of taco seasoning, opening it and pouring it over the browned meat. He mixed it in and then picked up a piece of the meat, tasting it. "Not bad," he smirked. He grabbed Sara by the waist and pulled her closer, giving her a kiss on the lips. "You're so smart," he said with a smile. She laughed and caressed his cheek gently.

"Cooking tacos doesn't require a brain surgeon or anything," she laughed. She kissed him softly and then smiled when she pulled away. "Maybe I can teach you how to cook more things," she suggested. Lincoln smiled.

"Well, now that Michael's home again, we might have to fight for the kitchen with him. He loves cooking, and he's pretty good at it, too," he said, tucking some hair behind her ears. "He might actually be willing to teach us how to make a few things," he suggested. Sara shrugged and smiled.

"It won't hurt to ask him," she said. She licked her lips and slid her arms around his waist, hugging him. He ran his hands over her back and kissed the top of her head.

"Okay, I'm going to get all this stuff together and put on the table. Will you do me a favor and go grab my brother? He's probably in his room, it's the one across the hall from mine," he said. Sara nodded.

"Sure, no problem," she said. She gave him a quick peck and then moved away from him, running a hand through her hair. She wasn't sure what had gotten into her lately, but she felt like she had to show affection to Lincoln a lot more than she did before. If she was honest with herself, it was to convince herself that she still wanted to marry him, that she still wanted to be with him. But she didn't like being honest with herself, because being honest with herself would hurt him in the end. And she didn't want to do that.

Approaching the door that was across the hall from Lincoln's bedroom, Sara raised her hand to knock. She waited a few moments before knocking again. She heard a muttered 'come in', and she reached for the doorknob, turning it and pushing the door open. Michael was laying on his bed, his arm up and over his eyes. When he heard the door, he moved the arm off his face and glanced up at who was in the doorway.

"I'm sorry to bother you," Sara started. Michael shook his head and pushed himself up off the bed, sitting on the edge.

"You're not. What's up?" he asked, rubbing his eyes. He glanced up at her and once again wondered what his brother was doing with this woman. If anything, she was more Michael's type than Lincoln's. Sara cleared her throat and gestured out to the kitchen.

"Lincoln finished the tacos and asked me to come get you to see if you wanted to eat," she said, then shoved her hands into her pockets. Michael continued to just look up at her for a few moments before he pushed himself off his bed and walked towards her.

"Sure," he said softly, nodding. Sara turned around and headed out of the bedroom and back towards the kitchen, Michael behind her. Lincoln had put the meat into a bowl and put it on the table, along with lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, cheese, and pretty much anything else you can think of to put inside a taco. Michael snickered, shaking his head.

"I never thought I'd see the day where Lincoln Burrows set a table," he said, shaking his head. Lincoln laughed and shrugged.

"What do you guys want to drink? I have a few beers in the fridge," he suggested. Sara and Michael both agreed and Lincoln grabbed three beers, placing one in front of each of them. The three of them sat and ate in silence for a few moments, until Michael cleared his throat and spoke.

"So, exactly how long have you two been together?" he asked, taking another bite of his taco. Lincoln glanced at Michael for a moment, before turning his gaze to Sara.

"A little over six months," Sara said in-between bites. Michael's chewing paused for a moment, and then he continued.

"Six months?" he asked, setting his taco down and taking a sip of his beer. "Are you sure that being engaged this early into a relationship is a good idea?" he asked. He knew the look Lincoln was giving him. It was the 'shut up' look.

"Michael," Lincoln warned softly, pleading with his eyes. "Not now. Why can't you just let things go?" he asked. Michael sighed, finishing his taco and then getting up, rinsing his plate off and putting it into the dishwasher. He turned to leave the room, but turned around in the doorway.

"I love you, Lincoln, you're my brother. And you seem like a very nice woman, Sara," he said. He crossed his arms and shrugged. "I just don't want either of you to end up hurt," he finished. He turned around and walked back to his room, closing the door behind him.

Sara and Lincoln sat in silence for a few moments, both unsure of what to say after what Michael said. Lincoln cleared his throat and glanced at her, shaking his head. "I'm sorry about that," he said softly, taking a sip of his beer. Sara shook her head.

"Don't worry about it," she assured him, resting her hand on his shoulder briefly. She wasn't sure why, but what Michael had said struck something inside her. She had a feeling that she agreed with him, that someone would end up hurt in the end, but she didn't want to voice that opinion. She liked Lincoln, he really was a good man. She figured that she'd just have to get used to the idea of having him in her life.

They'd be fine.

End Chapter Four

02.09.2007


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Notes: Here's chapter five! I told you guys that I was on top of things now! Chapter six should be up later this week … so stay tuned!

A Recipe For Disaster

Chapter Five

It had been a few days since Michael met Sara for the first time, and he had decided to keep his views on her relationship with his brother to himself. He didn't like upsetting Lincoln every time he brought it up, and he was positive that they weren't going to listen to what he had to say anyway. So he figured why waste his breath. He had been keeping away from the both of them, which wasn't hard to do since Lincoln had been spending most nights at Sara's place. His vacation from work was nice for the first few days, giving him time to relax and catch up on his sleep. But now, after the first week, Michael was more than ready to go back to work. He had contacted his boss, but he told Michael that he was to take the full two weeks, and enjoy them.

Currently, Michael was cleaning the apartment, vacuuming the carpet. He was thinking about going out and running some errands today, even if he had to create those errands off the top of his head. He was sick of this apartment. Shutting off the vacuum, he unplugged it and bent down to wrap the cord around the back of the machine when he heard a key in the lock. Glancing up, he saw Lincoln enter the apartment.

"Hey Michael," he said, dropping the mail on the table by the door. Michael nodded in response, standing up and putting the vacuum back in the closet. "What are you up to today?" Lincoln asked. Michael shrugged.

"I don't know. I just know that I have to get out of this apartment and do something, sitting here without anything to do is driving me absolutely fucking nuts," he confessed. Lincoln laughed and nodded.

"I can imagine that it'd be hard for you to sit here and do nothing," he said, smirking. Michael nodded. Clearing his throat, Lincoln crossed his arms across his chest. "Hey, I have a proposition for you," he said. Michael raised a brow, leaning against the back of the couch.

"A proposition, eh?" he repeated, tilting his head to the side, wondering what his brother had up his sleeve.

"Yeah. Well, kind of more like a favor to ask of you, but you just said that you're bored in here and want to get out," Lincoln explained.

"Just spit it out, Linc," Michael said, a small smile on his face.

"Well, Sara wanted to go look at reception halls and stuff for when we get married. And I just don't have time today. I have to be back to work in about forty-five minutes, and I don't want to have to tell her that she can't go," Lincoln explained.

"You don't have to tell her no. You can tell her that she can go by herself," Michael suggested, scratching the side of his neck. Lincoln sighed, running a hand over his head.

"Michael, please. Can you go with her and just give her an honest opinion of what you think about the place? I trust your judgment, and I want her to have someone to go with her, so she's not walking around downtown Chicago alone," he continued. Michael sighed.

"Okay, fine. I'll do it," Michael agreed. Lincoln smirked and clapped his brother on the shoulder.

"Thanks, Michael. I owe you one," he said, pulling out his phone to dial Sara. Michael shook his head and smirked.

"You owe me more than one," he teased. Lincoln informed Sara on the phone that he wouldn't be available to take her around to the different places she wanted to go, but that he asked Michael to do it, and he agreed. He told her that Michael would pick her up in half an hour, and then hung up the phone. Michael noticed that Lincoln didn't tell Sara that he loved her. He wasn't sure why he picked up on that, but he just did.

"Thanks again, Michael," Lincoln said, after he had hung up. He moved into the kitchen to make himself a sandwich for lunch and continued talking in there. "Sara lives in that apartment complex off of Grant street … you know where that is?" Lincoln asked. Michael laughed.

"Yes, I know where that is. I've only lived here my entire life," he joked. Lincoln shook his head.

"Alright. She's in the first building on the left, and here's her cell number," Lincoln jotted the number down on a piece of paper and handed it to Michael. "Call her when you get there, and she'll come down," he informed him. Michael took the paper and glanced at it, putting it in his pocket.

"Okay. I'll head out now then," he said, grabbing his cell phone off the counter and his keys. "I can't believe I'm going with your fiancé to look at reception halls for your wedding," he snickered, shaking his head as he walked to the door.

"Thanks, Michael!" Lincoln called. Michael shut the door and headed down to his car. He unlocked it and opened the door, sliding inside and starting it. He put his seatbelt on and then pulled out of the parking lot, heading to Sara's apartment complex.

-----

Sara wasn't sure why she had agreed to let Lincoln ask his brother to take her to look at the reception halls. She was perfectly capable of looking at them herself, and then going back at a later date with Lincoln to show him the ones she liked. She had a feeling that Lincoln did that for two reasons. One, he felt guilty for not being able to go and didn't want her to go alone. And two, he wanted she and Michael to get to know each other, to get along. Sighing, she ran a brush through her hair and then tied her hair back. She heard her phone going off and she picked it up, not recognizing the number. It was probably Michael.

"Hello?" she answered, grabbing her jacket and her purse.

"Sara? It's Michael. I'm outside," he said. Sara grabbed her keys and threw them into her purse.

"Okay, great. I'll be down in a minute," she said. She hung up and pulled her jacket on, putting her phone into her purse as well, and then she left her apartment, heading downstairs. She noticed a car with tinted windows sitting in front of her building, and she assumed that was Michael. As she approached, the window rolled down, confirming her assumptions. She gave Michael a small smile as she opened the passenger side door, sliding into the car.

"Sara," Michael said in greeting, giving her a returned smile.

"Hi," she smiled. "Thank you for coming, I told Lincoln that he didn't have to call you, that I was perfectly capable of going by myself, but he insisted," she explained. Michael smiled and pulled away from her building.

"Oh, it's really not a problem. I was bored to death in the apartment anyway," he smiled at her. "So, where to?" he asked.

-----

Three hours and four reception halls later, Michael and Sara found themselves at a diner to grab something to eat. They were starving, but didn't want to stop before they absolutely had to. They were both looking at the menu, and Sara glanced over hers at Michael.

"So, which hall do you think Lincoln would like the best?" she asked, setting her menu down once she made a selection and folding her hands on top of it. Michael glanced at her over the top of his menu and shrugged.

"I'm not sure. He's kind of a complex human being," he smiled. "Besides, I can assure you that with the way he is, he'll like the one that you like the best. Because he's not decisive about things like reception halls," Michael explained. Sara nodded.

"I just don't know. This is all moving so fast," she confided quietly. Michael raised a brow, setting down his menu as well.

"You can always tell Lincoln that you want things to slow down a little bit. I'm sure he'd understand," Michael assured. She shrugged and ran a hand through her hair.

"I mean … I care about Lincoln. I really do. I don't want to upset him by telling him that I think we need to slow this whole thing down," she said, glancing down at her hand to study her engagement ring.

"If it's how you feel, Sara, you can't just ignore it. It'll only make things worse in the end," he said. She glanced up from her ring to face Michael and licked her lips.

"I'm not sure why I'm telling you this, Michael, but I'm trusting you to keep it confidential. I don't want Lincoln to get upset that I confided this in you and not in him," she said quietly. Michael shrugged.

"Maybe you should confide in him. He is your fiancé," he insisted. Sara glanced back down at her hands. "But I won't say anything," he added. Her eyes raised back up to meet his and she gave him a small smile.

"Thank you," she said. The waitress arrived to take their order, and they changed the subject, talking about their prospective careers and where they hope to be in the future. Michael found himself having a really good time, he did enjoy Sara's company and she made him laugh. He was comfortable around her.

Sara felt the same way, she thought that Michael was a really nice guy, really laid-back and easy to talk to. She liked his smile and she liked the twinkle in his eye when she would make him laugh.

After lunch, they visited two more reception halls. At the last one they visited, the woman presenting the hall to them mistook them for the engaged couple, telling them that they made quite the lovely couple.

"No no … I'm her future brother-in-law," Michael corrected her. The woman smiled and apologized for her assumption. It left quite a strange silence between the two of them for the rest of the visit.

When they had finished with that reception hall, Michael glanced at his watch and realized it was almost 6pm. He cleared his throat as they headed back out to his car. "It's getting kind of late, Lincoln'll probably be home soon wanting to know what you thought of the halls," he said, unlocking the car once they reached it and getting inside. Sara nodded.

"Yeah, it's probably a good idea to call it a night and head home," she agreed. Michael nodded and then drove his car in the direction of her apartment complex. The drive there was made in silence. Not the awkward thick tension type silence, but a comfortable one. Michael glanced over at her every once in awhile and gave her a small smile.

Pulling up in front of her complex, he put his car into park and then turned to look at her. "Well, it was fun," he smiled. "More fun than I thought it was going to be," he admitted. Sara laughed and nodded, unbuckling her seatbelt.

"Yeah, I really appreciate you coming with me, Michael. It would have been so boring going by myself. And I probably would have only gone to like two of them," she admitted, smiling. Michael shrugged.

"Anytime."

"And thank you for … you know … not telling your brother what I said at the diner," she continued. Michael nodded and cleared his throat.

"I won't tell him, Sara, but I really think you should. It's probably best for the both of you to be honest with him," he advised. Sara nodded.

"I'll think about it," she said. Michael nodded as well. "Goodnight, Michael."

"Night," he said, raising his hand in a wave as she got out of the car. Michael waited until he watched her unlock the door and get inside the building before he drove off, thoughts running through his head too fast to process.

End Chapter Five

02.09.2007


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Notes: Hey, sorry about the wait … this chapter's been written for awhile, but I just haven't had the chance to put it up yet. I got really busy this week, got offered overtime at work. Plus, the weather in Cleveland, Ohio is absolutely _HORRIBLE_. No joke. It's cleared up some now, but for the past few days we had whiteout conditions everywhere. It was just a nightmare. Made me hate winter even more. BUT … here's chapter six! Enjoy!

A Recipe For Disaster

Chapter Six

A few weeks had gone by since Michael and Sara's conversation about telling Lincoln the truth. Sara had been thinking about it nonstop, or at least it felt like it. She weighed the pros and cons of telling him the truth many times, coming up with no answer in the end. Finally making a decision, Sara chose to tell Lincoln the truth tonight when she got home from work.

She entered the locker room and took off her lab coat, putting it into her locker and grabbing her purse. She dug through it for her keys and then said goodbye to her co-workers and headed out to the parking lot. Unlocking the door to her car, she slid inside and started it, putting her seatbelt on. The entire drive home, she went over in her head what it was that she was going to say to Lincoln. She wasn't sure why she was worried, she hadn't gotten out of work that night until late, and he would probably already be asleep.

Once she finally arrived at home, she sat in her car for a moment before getting out and heading upstairs. Like she expected, Lincoln had fallen asleep on the couch. Glancing at her watch, she saw that it was a little after midnight. Deciding that she didn't want to wake him, she quietly set her keys down and crept through the apartment, not making much noise. If she was honest with herself, she'd admit that she didn't want to wake him up because she was scared to tell him of her wishes to slow things down.

It seemed that luck was not on her side tonight, though, because while lost in her own thoughts, she ran into the coffee table and banged her shin, cursing at the pain it caused her. Lincoln stirred on the couch and then groaned softly, his eyes opening. He cleared his throat once he was awake and sat up, glancing at her with a sleepy smile.

"Hey you," he said, stifling a yawn and stretching. He glanced at his watch and then settled back in the couch. "You're home late," he said. Sara smiled and nodded, sitting in the recliner that was next to the couch.

"Yeah, we got really busy and I just wasn't able to leave," she said. She ran a hand through her hair and leaned back in the chair, it felt really good to sit down. Lincoln nodded and continued smiling.

"Saving lives and such?" he asked, raising a brow. Sara smiled and shrugged.

"Something like that," she said. She wouldn't admit that she technically should have left much earlier than that, but she kept taking on cases that came into the ER so that she didn't have to go home and confront him.

"Are you okay?" he asked suddenly, tilting his head to the side. "You seem out of it and preoccupied with something," he observed. Sara sighed and shrugged, glancing back at him.

"Actually, there has been something on my mind lately," she admitted, glancing down at her lap and playing with a string that was hanging off the bottom of her scrubs top. Lincoln glanced over at her with a concerned look on his face and patted the couch next to him. She reluctantly stood up and moved to sit next to him, curling her leg beneath her so she could sit to face him.

"What's up?" he asked, his eyes locked on hers. She cleared her throat.

'Well,' she thought, 'it's now or never.' She licked her lips and glanced down at her hands for a moment before glancing back up at him. "Do you think that we're taking things too fast?" she asked. Lincoln's eyebrow rose for a moment, and then went back to its usual position.

"Have you been talking to Michael again?" he asked. Sara sighed and shook her head.

"No, I haven't seen or talked to Michael since he went to the reception halls with me. I'm just wondering for me. Do you think that we're moving too fast? I mean, six months really isn't that long of a time to know each other. Now we're engaged and looking at reception halls and wedding dresses? I'm not sure I want to be moving this fast," she confessed. Lincoln sat looking at her for a few moments, unsure of what to say. He hadn't been expecting that at all, but now it was on the table, and he had to address her concerns.

"I don't think we are. I mean, there are plenty of people who meet each other and get married the next day," he rationalized. Sara couldn't help but let out a small laugh.

"Lincoln, be serious. Those people are usually celebrities, and their marriage lasts all of five seconds," she said, shaking her head. "I don't want that. I don't want to get married and then regret moving so fast," she said.

"Do you think you'd regret marrying me?" Lincoln asked, sounding a tad bit hurt.

"No, no … Lincoln, that's not what I'm saying. I'm saying that right now … I'm not sure. I want to be 100 sure when I walk down the aisle," she said. Lincoln looked away from her and focused his gaze on something on the opposite end of the room. "If I'm honest with myself, I never really was sure," she added.

"Then why did you agree to marry me, Sara?" he asked, not looking at her. She sighed and her gaze fell to her hands and she continued playing with that string on the bottom of her top.

"Honestly? I don't know," she said. Lincoln shook his head and stood up to move away, but she grabbed his arm. "Lincoln, listen to me. I'm not saying that I want to break off the engagement or anything like that. I'm just saying that I don't want to get married tomorrow!" she insisted, standing up as well and forcing him to look at her. He looked at her for a few moments before he cleared his throat.

"I need some time to think," he said, running a hand over his head. "My buddy out of town has been begging me to come spend a week or so with him and his wife, so I think I'm going to do that," he said. Sara sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

"Don't run away, that's not going to solve anything," she insisted.

"I'm not running away, Sara. I'm just taking some time to think," he said. He leaned forward and kissed her forehead, grabbing his keys and leaving. Sara stood there for a moment, unsure of what exactly just happened.

"Well, that went well," she told herself quietly.

-----

Lincoln's drive home was spent silent and thinking. He didn't know why the revelation bothered him so much, it wasn't like he wanted to up and get married tomorrow either. He wanted a somewhat long engagement. And if he was honest with himself, he was having a few of the same concerns that she did. He figured it bothered him because she was the one to voice those concerns first. Getting back to his and Michael's apartment, he went back into his bedroom and fell back on his bed, attempting to sleep. He'd leave first thing in the morning.

-----

Michael woke up the next morning to get ready for work, and was surprised as all hell to see Lincoln's door shut. Lincoln hadn't slept in their apartment pretty much since he got back home from Washington. Pushing the thoughts of what happened out of his head, he moved to get in the shower and get ready for his day.

Around noon, his secretary informed him that he had a call on line one. He cleared his throat and picked up the receiver. "This is Michael Scofield," he answered.

"Michael? It's Sara," Michael was surprised to hear his brother's fiancé on the other end of the phone. He hadn't talked to her since their reception hall escapade.

"Sara? Hi … what can I do for you?" he asked. He was curious as to why she would call him, especially at work.

"Um … I'm sorry to bother you at work, but Lincoln had the number on my fridge, and I kind of needed to talk to you," she said. Michael's brow furrowed. He wondered what was important enough to make her call him at work.

"It's okay, you're not bothering me. What's up?" he asked, putting down his pen and leaning back in his chair.

"Remember what I told you when we were at the diner? About wanting to slow things down?"

"Yes, I remember."

"Well, I told Lincoln," she said. Michael nodded.

"Okay. And?" he asked, unsure what this had to do with him.

"And he got pretty upset. He thinks that I don't want to marry him and that this is my way of letting him know that," she informed him.

"Um…" he trailed off, unsure what to say.

"I'm not blaming you, not at all. I was just wondering if maybe you could talk. I just kind of need to talk out my frustrations," she said.

"Well, where's Lincoln now?" he asked.

"Oh, he said he was going to hang out with one of his friends from out of town for a week or so," she informed him. Michael cleared his throat and glanced at his watch. It was a little past four.

"Um, I can come to your place when I get out of here. I shouldn't be here much past five," he offered.

"Yeah … yeah, that sounds good. You remember where I live, right?" she asked. Michael smiled.

"Yes, I remember where you live. I'll give you a call when I get there," he said.

"Okay. Thank you, Michael."

"No problem. See you in a bit," he said goodbye and then hung up the phone. He wasn't sure what was going on. This was a little strange. Picking up the receiver, he dialed his brother's cell phone. It rang a few times and then he heard Lincoln answer.

"Yeah?" Michael rolled his eyes at the greeting.

"Is that any way to answer your cell phone, young man?" he teased.

"Michael. What do you need?" Lincoln asked. Michael frowned.

"I just got a call from Sara, she's pretty upset that you just up and left like that," he said.

"I just need time to think, Michael," Lincoln said.

"Okay, okay. Where are you going?"

"I'm going to stay at Johnny's place for about a week. Maybe a little longer."

"Just don't stay gone too long. You can't run away from everything, Linc," Michael reminded him.

"Yeah, yeah. Thanks, mom," Lincoln said, and then hung up the phone. Michael shook his head as he hung up his receiver and got back to work.

-----

It was after 5:30 when Michael finally left his office, going down to his car and getting inside. He headed right to Sara's apartment complex like he said he would, pulling out his cell phone as he drove. He looked up Sara's number in his contact list and called her.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Sara, it's Michael. I'm just leaving work now. Sorry, I got kind of caught up in a project. But I should be there in a few," he said.

"Okay. Thanks, Michael," she said.

"You're welcome," he hung up and then continued driving to her place, his mind reeling the whole way. When he arrived at her complex, he parked the car and then went up to the door, hitting the buzzer with her name on it. Apartment 2C.

"Yeah?" her voice rang through the intercom.

"It's Michael," he informed her.

"I'll buzz you up," she said. There was a loud buzzing noise, and Michael opened the door, his long legs taking the steps two at a time as he climbed to the second floor. He searched for the door marked 2C and headed for it when he saw it. Knocking softly, he waited for her to open the door.

Sara was stirring some sugar and creamer into a mug of coffee when she heard the knock on the door. She picked up the mug and headed to the door, opening it and giving Michael a small smile when she saw him. "Hi," she said, opening the door further and gesturing for him to come on in. He returned her smile and walked into the apartment. "Do you want a cup of coffee or anything?" she asked, taking a sip of her own coffee. He glanced over at her and then nodded, taking his hands out of his pockets.

"Yeah, a cup of coffee works," he said, smiling. He followed her into the kitchen and watched as she poured him a cup, turning to look at him.

"What do you put in it?" she asked. Michael shook his head, taking the cup from her hands.

"I drink it black," he informed her. She nodded and then he followed her back out into the living room. "So, this is your place," he stated. She turned to him and then laughed a little, nodding.

"Yeah, this is my place," she repeated. She sat down on the sofa. "You can have a seat anywhere," she said. Michael chose the recliner, opting not to sit on the sofa with her. He sipped at his coffee.

"So, I'm sorry that my brother is a moron," he said. She laughed and shook her head.

"No … he's not a moron. He's just confused, I think," she said. She sighed, setting her cup of coffee down on the table, scooting forward on the sofa and turning to look at him. "I just … I had debated with myself over whether or not to tell him what I told you. That I wanted to take things slow. And I finally told him, and I think he took it all completely wrong," she said, shaking her head. Michael changed his mind, standing up and moving to sit on the sofa next to her.

"Lincoln's always been the type of guy to run away from things that make him feel something he doesn't want to. Pain, anger, hurt," he said. He shrugged. "That's just Lincoln. He may have been there for me while I was growing up, but as soon as I hit 16 years old, he started taking off randomly and for long periods of time," he said. Sara ran a hand over her head, grabbing her mug of coffee and taking another sip.

"I'm just worried that he's thinking right now that I don't want to marry him," she said. Michael furrowed his brow briefly.

"Do you want to marry him?" he asked, holding the mug between his hands. Sara turned her face to look at him, and he saw unshed tears in her eyes.

"I don't know," she said softly and honestly, before glancing back down at her hands. "I really don't know. And that's why I wanted things to slow down, so I could figure out what it is that I want," she said. She let out a small humorless laugh. "You have to think that I'm such a horrible person, engaged to your brother but not knowing if I really want to marry him," she said. Michael shook his head.

"No, I really don't. If I thought you were a horrible person, I wouldn't have shown up here in the first place," he said honestly. He laid his hand on her shoulder for a moment. "You're not a horrible person," he assured her. She shook her head, a small smile on her face as she looked up at him.

"Where do men like you come from?" she asked softly, before getting up and moving into the kitchen. Michael thought it best not to follow her, swallowing the lump in his throat. When she looked up at him with those teary eyes, he realized something. He liked Sara. Really liked her. And that was not a good thing … she was engaged to his brother! He cleared his throat and sat back on the couch, sipping his coffee and trying to get his thoughts under control.

In the kitchen, Sara was standing over the sink, glancing down at the drain. She was grateful that Michael didn't follow her in there, she needed a moment to think. Was she really attracted to her fiancé's brother? How wrong was that?! She felt like she belonged on an episode of Jerry Springer. Resting he elbows on the countertop, she held her head in her hands for a few moments, trying to get thoughts of Michael out of her head. She tried thinking about Lincoln, and what a good man he was. But she couldn't do it. Her thoughts kept coming back to Michael. She really was a horrible person.

After a few more minutes, Sara emerged from the kitchen and saw Michael still sitting on the couch, slowly sipping his coffee. She gave him a small smile, crossing her arms across her chest. "I know that I asked you to come over here, but I think I need some time to myself," she said softly. Michael nodded and stood up, handing her the coffee cup.

"I completely understand," he said, giving her a small smile. "Things'll be okay," he said. He wasn't sure who they would be okay for, but he hoped they would be okay for her. Sara gave him a small smile and nodded.

"Thank you for coming, Michael," she said. He nodded. His hand brushed hers as he handed her the coffee mug, and she felt a jolt that went all the way down to her toes. The kind of jolt that she wished she felt when Lincoln touched her. The kind of jolt she had been waiting for her entire life. Swallowing hard, she led him to the door and opened it.

"I'll see you around," Michael said, getting his keys out and then heading out the door. Sara shut it behind him and he headed down to the car. He felt the jolt, too, but assumed it was one-sided. He hadn't known that she felt the same thing. Glancing up at her window, he realized one thing and one thing only.

She was his brother's fiancé, and he had to get her out of his head.

End Chapter Six

02.09.2007


	7. Chapter 7

Author's Notes: Hey everyone. Here's the next chapter of the story ... hope you guys enjoy! And reviews make the world go around ... they make me want to get the next chapter out sooner! So keep 'em coming! And thanks to everyone who's taken the time to read the story and review so far. It's greatly appreciated!

A Recipe For Disaster

Chapter Seven

The next morning, Michael woke up to the sound of his cell phone ringing. Groaning slightly, he reached over to his side table and grabbed his phone, letting out a small sigh of relief when he saw his caller ID. It was his best friend Fernando Sucre. Flipping the phone open, Michael cleared his throat.

"Hello?" he answered, rather groggily.

"Did I wake you up?" Sucre asked. Michael sat up in bed and glanced at the clock.

"It's 9am on a Saturday morning. What do you think?" Michael asked. Sucre chuckled.

"Sorry, man. I just wanted to know if you wanted to catch breakfast with me. We haven't talked in a long time, and I have some good news," he said. Michael flung the blankets off of him and got out, stretching.

"Sounds good, I have to talk to you too," he said. He and Sucre made plans to meet at a local diner at 10am and Michael hung up. He jumped in the shower and got ready to go, making it to the diner right at 10am on the dot. Glancing around, he spotted Sucre in a booth in the back and headed that way.

"Hey," Sucre said, smiling when he saw his friend. Michael smiled, giving him the 'manly hug' and sat down. The waitress came by and got their orders, then left them to themselves.

"So, what's up?" Michael asked, taking a sip of the coffee that the waitress set down in front of him. Sucre smiled.

"I proposed to Maricruz last night," he informed him. Michael's eyes widened and he smiled.

"I'm guessing by the goofy grin on your face, she accepted?" he smirked. Sucre laughed and nodded.

"She said yes!" he confirmed. Michael laughed and patted his friend on the back.

"Congrats, man. I'm happy for you," he said sincerely. Sucre had been dating Maricruz for almost two years.

"Thanks," Sucre beamed. "What about you? When are you ever going to settle down and find a woman?" he asked. Sara's face invaded Michael's thoughts and he sighed, running a hand over his head.

"There is a girl," he started. Sucre raised a brow. "But it's just not a good idea, it won't work," Michael continued.

"What makes you say that? I'd like to see you settled down and happy with someone."

Michael cleared his throat. "That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about," he started again. "I'm attracted to Lincoln's fiancé," he admitted, glancing down at his coffee. Sucre's mouth opened for him to speak, but he closed it just as fast.

"Um … wow," he said, shaking his head. Michael nodded.

"Yeah. I don't know how it happened, and I don't want to act on anything because Lincoln is my brother, I don't want to come between them," he said. Sucre ran his hand over his head.

"Damn. That's a complicated situation. I don't know what to tell you, papi," he said. Michael nodded.

"Yeah. Complicated is a good word for it," he said, giving his friend a small smile. The waitress then brought their food over and set it in front of them, and they changed the subject, talking about happier things. Like Sucre's engagement.

-----

Outside of Chicago later that evening, Lincoln sat at a bonfire at his friend Johnny's house with a beer in his hand. Johnny decided to celebrate the arrival of his long-time friend with a big bonfire and lots of friends. Lincoln didn't know many of them, in fact he hadn't come across any of them that he knew yet.

"Lincoln Burrows … I don't believe it," came a voice behind him. He knew that voice all too well and he smiled, turning his head to confirm his suspicions. Veronica Donovan stood behind him, a beer in her hand and a smile on her face.

"Veronica … good to see you," he said, giving her a smile. He and Veronica went way back. They dated on and off starting in eighth grade and going through sophomore year of high school. They lost their virginity to each other, and when they broke up, they remained friends with benefits through the rest of their high school years. Veronica went off to college, and Lincoln never really heard from her again. There were a few phone calls when she first went away, but they dwindled and finally died.

Veronica moved closer to him and sat down in the chair next to him, tilting her head to the side. "What brings you out here?" she asked, raising a brow. Lincoln smiled.

"Woman problems," he said, shrugging. Veronica smiled, shaking her head.

"You always have woman problems," she teased. He smiled, nodding.

"Yeah, well … I guess some things never change," he said. He downed the rest of his beer and grabbed another out of the cooler next to him, staring out into the fire.

"So, come on. Fill me in on the last decade of your life. I've missed a lot," she smiled at him. Lincoln glanced over at her, giving her a small smile and then cleared his throat and began talking to her.

About an hour and too many beers to count later, Lincoln found himself up in Johnny's house in the guest room where he was staying, lying on top of Veronica and he was kissing her. She had her arms around his neck and he had his hands on her waist. His mind was foggy, he wasn't exactly sure what he was doing. But he wanted to gain some kind of control over his life again, and so he pushed Sara out of his head and focused on that moment, being there with Veronica.

He slowly undressed her, taking the time to refamiliarize himself with her body. He alternated between kissing and licking her skin with every piece of clothing he removed. She returned the favor when she undressed him, and before either of them knew it, they were tangled in the bed sheets with him inside of her. It felt familiar, it felt good. He shut off his brain, he'd think about things in the morning. Right now, he just let himself feel.

-----

Lincoln awoke the next morning before Veronica did. Glancing over at her, he felt a huge pang of guilt as he remembered what happened between them the night before. Sara was going to kill him. Getting out of bed, he grabbed his clothes and got dressed. He pulled out his duffle bag and threw things into it, he had to get out of there as soon as he could.

He heard Veronica stirring in the bed and he glanced down at her. She opened her eyes and smiled at him, then realized what he was doing. Her smile turned to a frown.

"What are you doing?" she asked, sitting up and holding the sheet to her chest. Lincoln rolled his lips into his mouth.

"I have to go back," he said. She looked at him like she couldn't believe him.

"You have to go back? You're just going to leave like that?" she asked incredulously. Lincoln glanced down at his duffle bag and then back at her.

"I'm engaged," he admitted. Veronica just looked at him for a few moments, then she got out of the bed and got dressed too.

"I can't believe you didn't tell me that you were engaged," she said, sounding upset. She wasn't the type to sleep with taken men, and had he told her that he was a taken man, she wouldn't have let things go anywhere the night before. Even though she was pretty inebriated.

"I don't know what's going on with things at home, Veronica. It's confusing!" he said. She shook her head.

"I don't care if things are confusing at home or not! You shouldn't be sleeping with other women when you're engaged!" she insisted, her voice rising. Lincoln sighed.

"I know this, V. I just have to go," he said, grabbing his bags and getting everything together. He glanced back at her one final time and then left the room, going down to his car.

Once inside, he started it and sat there for a minute. What was he going to tell Sara? Should he even tell her? Yes … yes, he'd tell her. He didn't want to lie to her. Glancing back up at the room where he left Veronica, he cleared his throat and then headed back home.

-----

Sitting in her living room, Sara was beginning to get a little worried. She hadn't heard from Lincoln since he left, and she wondered what he was doing. Glancing at her phone, she picked it up and dialed Lincoln's cell phone number. It went to voicemail.

"Lincoln, it's Sara. I just wanted to call to make sure that you're alright … I haven't heard from you since you left. Please call me," she left him a voicemail. Flipping through her phonebook, she came across Michael's number. Hesitating a few moments, she hit the 'send' button and called him. His phone went to voicemail, too.

"Michael, it's Sara. I'm just wondering if you've heard from Lincoln at all … I haven't heard from him and I don't know what's going on," she started. She cleared her throat. "And I just kind of wanted to talk to you. So if you want to give me a call back … yeah. That'd be great. Thanks," she said, then hung up. Putting her hand to her mouth, she sighed. She had to get over this thing she had for her fiancé's brother. She felt like she should be on an episode of Jerry Springer.

Sighing, she got up off the couch and headed into the kitchen to pour herself another cup of coffee, when she heard the door open. Glancing out into the living room, she saw that it was Lincoln. He dropped his duffle bag by the door and ran a hand over his head. She moved over to the doorway that lead to the living room from the kitchen and leaned against it.

"Did you not get my messages?" she asked softly, holding her cup of coffee between both hands as she looked at him. Lincoln glanced up at her and then shrugged.

"No, no … I got them," he said. He glanced up at her and felt immediately guilty for what he did, he didn't know how to make things right again. "Listen, Sara, we need to talk," he said, crossing his arms across his chest. Sara raised a brow at him and pushed herself off the doorway.

"Okay …" she trailed off, worried that Lincoln might have found out that she'd been thinking about his brother. But Lincoln moved to the couch and sat down, motioning for Sara to join him. She did, sitting next to him. "What's going on?" she asked, getting comfortable and taking a sip of her coffee.

"I ran into some old friends when I was at Johnny's," Lincoln started. Sara didn't say anything, so he continued. His gaze was on his hands, he couldn't look her in the eye when he confessed this to her. He was trying to find the words to say, and he couldn't find a way to really beat around the bush. "I don't know how to say this, Sara, so I'm just going to say it point blankly," he said, looking up at her.

"What's going on, Lincoln?" Sara repeated, brushing some hair out of her face. Lincoln cleared his throat and then glanced back down at his hands.

"I cheated on you," he confessed. Sara sat there for a few seconds, trying to take in that information.

"What?" she asked.

"I cheated—" Lincoln started, but Sara cut him off by holding her hand up.

"I heard you," she said. They were both silent for about a minute. Even though Sara had felt her feelings for Lincoln dwindling, she still felt betrayed that he did that. She had been having feelings for Michael, but suppressed them because she didn't want to hurt Lincoln. And here he was, telling her that he cheated on her.

"I was drunk, I wasn't thinking," Lincoln tried to explain. Sara snickered humorlessly, shaking her head.

"Oh, shut up. I don't want to hear your excuses," she said. She stood up and ran a hand through her hair, pacing in front of the couch.

"Sara," Lincoln pleaded, reaching out to try and grab her hand. Sara pulled it away.

"No. I don't want to see you right now, Lincoln. I think we need some time apart," she said. She glanced at him and he pursed his lips, nodding.

"Whatever you need, Sara," he said. Sara shook her head.

"Oh, aren't you just so fucking accommodating?" she said, her voice getting angry. She set down her cup of coffee and pulled her engagement ring off her hand, tossing it at him. "Get out," she stated simply. Lincoln didn't argue, he grabbed his stuff and left. Sara watched him go and then crossed her arms across her chest.

She wasn't sure why she was so upset … she had been thinking about another man. But that was the difference. She only i thought /i about Michael. Lincoln acted on it and did the one thing that she was trying not to do. Hurt each other. Glancing at her watch, Sara saw that it was almost 5pm … Michael would more than likely still be at work.

After sitting in her apartment for fifteen more minutes by herself. Sara didn't want to wait anymore. She grabbed her purse and her keys and headed out to her car. She knew where the company Michael worked for was located, but she'd never been inside the building. Driving in that direction, she thought a lot during the ten minutes or so it took to get there.

Parking her car, she went inside and smiled at the receptionist at the desk in the front. "I'm looking for Michael Scofield's office," she said, wondering if this lady would give her any problems. The woman glanced at the schedule in front of her, and then shook her head.

"He doesn't have an appointment," she started, glancing back up at Sara. Sara gave her a forced smile.

"I know. I'm … I'm his girlfriend, I just need to speak with him about something. It's urgent," she said. The lady raised a brow, as if unaware that Michael even had a girlfriend.

"Oh, okay. Well, I can have him paged for you. What's your name?" she asked. Sara nodded.

"Yeah, okay. I'm Sara Tancredi," she said. The woman picked up her phone and dialed Michael's extension, waiting patiently. Sara hoped that the receptionist didn't tell Michael that his girlfriend was there.

"Mr. Scofield, I have a Sara Tancredi down here to see you," the woman spoke sweetly into the phone. She glanced up at Sara and gave her a smile, hanging up the phone. "Mr. Scofield's office is up the stairs and to the left. His name is on the door, it's hard to miss," she said. Sara smiled at her and nodded.

"Thank you," she said. She headed over to the flight of stairs and began her ascent to Michael's office.

-----

Michael hung up his phone, a confused expression on his face. He hadn't been expecting a visit from Sara, but he wouldn't turn her away, either. Even though he had been trying his hardest to avoid her lately. She filled his thoughts all the time, and he tried to get her off his mind. Unsuccessfully most times, but still … he tried.

Clearing his throat, he glanced back at his computer and picked up his phone, pretending to be busy with something so that maybe she wouldn't stay long. He wasn't even sure what she was doing there. He heard a soft knock on his open door, and he glanced up at the doorway, seeing Sara standing there. He waved her in and gestured to a chair in front of his desk.

"Yeah, I'll get those blueprints to you as soon as possible," he said to the dial tone. He wondered if she could hear the dial tone and knew he was pretending. She didn't seem to notice as she sat there, glancing at her hands in her lap. Something about the look on her face bothered him. He cleared his throat. "Right. Thanks," he said, then hung up the phone. He turned to look at her and offered her a smile. "Sara, this is a surprise," he said. She glanced up at the sound of her name and gave him a small smile.

"Yeah, I know. I'm sorry to barge in on you here at work like this … I had to tell the receptionist downstairs that I was your girlfriend," she said. Michael smiled, he couldn't help but wish it were true. When did he become a lovesick teenager? Clearing his throat, he shook his head.

"It's okay … you're not barging in. What's up?" he asked, straightening the papers on his desk out of somewhat of a nervous habit. She raised a hand to her forehead and wiped her bangs out of her eyes, and Michael noticed that her ring was gone. "Where's your ring?" he asked, pointing at her hand. Sara glanced down at her naked ring finger and sighed.

"Lincoln came back from his friend's," she said. She glanced up at Michael and sighed. "He cheated on me," she confided. Michael's eyes widened in disbelief.

"No way … Lincoln?" he asked. Sara nodded.

"Yeah. He said he was really drunk, and that's all that I let him get out before I told him to get out," she continued. Michael leaned back in his chair, folding his hands above his head.

"Shit … I'm so sorry, Sara," he said. Sara nodded, glancing at her hands. Michael watched her for a few moments before moving from behind his desk to sit next to her, there for comfort if she needed it.

"You know the worst part?" she asked, her eyes moving up to meet his. Michael shook his head.

"What?" he asked. Sara glanced back down at her fingers.

"I wasn't as upset as I seemed. Because, truthfully, I don't want to marry your brother," she confessed. Michael rolled his lips into his mouth, unable to find anything to say. "I have feelings for someone else, and they're feelings much stronger than anything I feel for Lincoln," she confessed, looking back up at Michael. Michael couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy for whoever this man was that she was speaking of.

"Well, Sara … I don't want you to be unhappy. If you don't want to marry my brother, you need to tell him that. And you need to tell this other guy how you feel," he said. He had always been somewhat of a bleeding heart … he would sacrifice his happiness for her to be happy. Sara nodded.

"How about if instead of telling him … I show him?" she asked. Michael shrugged.

"Whatever works for you," he stated. Sara glanced down at her hands before looking back up into Michael's eyes.

"Showing him works for me," she said, then she leaned in and pressed her lips to Michael's, raising her hand to cup his cheek.

End Chapter Seven

02.12.2007


	8. Chapter 8

Author's Notes: Hey guys! I didn't want to keep you in suspense too long, so here's chapter eight! Enjoy! Please r/r!

A Recipe For Disaster

Chapter Eight

Michael was surprised, to say the least, to feel Sara's lips on his. He hesitated only a moment before he began to return her kiss, his hand sliding around to the back of her neck. After a few moments, the reality of the situation struck him, and he pulled away.

"Sara … wait. You're my brother's fiancé," he insisted, his hand still on the back of her neck. Sara bit her bottom lip and shook her head.

"I don't care. I don't want him anymore, I don't love him," she said. Michael let go of her and leaned forward in his chair, his elbows resting on his knees and his head in his hands. Here he was, the woman of his dreams in his office, wanting him, and yet he couldn't go through with it. He couldn't hurt his brother.

"He's my brother, Sara. This will kill him," he said softly, his words a bit muffled.

"I don't think so. He didn't think about how I would feel when he cheated on me," she brought up. Michael glanced over at her, a look of hurt on his face.

"So is this … is this all just to get back at him for cheating on you?" he asked softly. Sara realized what she said and then she shook her head.

"No … Michael, no," she insisted, getting up out of the chair and kneeling in front of him. "No. I have all these feelings for you … feelings that I've felt since the moment I met you, but I couldn't explain them. I felt drawn to you the entire time, I just kept telling myself that it was nothing. But truthfully, the thought of you excites me, you're always on my mind," she continued. Michael ran his hands over his head.

"I feel the same way," he said softly, looking at the ground. Sara slid her fingers under his chin and tilted his head up.

"Then what's wrong?" she asked. Michael rolled his lips into his mouth and shook his head.

"My brother," he said simply, standing up and moving away from her to shut the door to his office. He moved from the door to the windows, glancing out at the city.

"Michael, listen to me. I never felt that … that connection with Lincoln that I thought I'd feel with the person that I was meant to be with. I never felt anything like that, I just figured it would come with time. When I met you," she moved over to him, putting her hand on his arm. His eyes moved to meet hers, "I felt all of that. The butterflies in my stomach, the shock when we'd touch," she said.

"None of this changes the fact that you're engaged to my brother," he repeated.

"I had planned on breaking off the engagement anyway," she confessed. Michael sighed and glanced back out at the view of the city from his window.

"I don't know, Sara. I just don't know," he said. Sara's hand moved from his arm to his cheek, gently turning his head to look at her.

"You don't have to know everything," she said softly, her thumb caressing the side of his face. When he didn't move away from her touch, she leaned in again, desperate to feel his lips on hers once again. When she kissed him again, he didn't pull away, but returned her kiss ever so slightly. Her arms moved up to wrap around his neck, and his encircled her waist, holding her to him. They stayed locked in that embrace for a few moments before he pulled away again, his forehead resting against hers.

"I don't want to hurt him," he whispered, his eyes still closed. Sara's heart thudded in her chest, she could easily be in love with this man.

"It's inevitable that he's going to be hurt … because I can't marry him now that I know that I'm in love with you," she whispered back. Michael's eyes opened and locked onto hers. His heart thumped loudly, he was sure she could hear it.

"Sara," he started softly, but she moved to place her finger over his lips and kissed him again. He couldn't resist her kisses, he had wanted to kiss her for so long. Gathering up all the willpower he could muster, he broke the kiss and moved away from her.

"Michael, what's wrong?" she asked, her voice trembling, she didn't want him to do what she thought he was going to.

"I can't do this, Sara. I can't," he said, shaking his head. Sara stood there for a few moments before she nodded, raising her hand to cover her mouth.

"I … I understand," she said softly. She gave him one last look before she moved to leave his office. Michael sighed, plopping back down in his chair, his head in his hands.

-----

Later that night, Michael finally made his way back to his apartment. Lincoln's bedroom door was shut, so he knew that his brother was home. Not wanting to bother him, and not really wanting to face him, Michael went right to his room. He put on a pair of blue plaid pajama pants and a grey t-shirt, then flopped down on his bed, staring at the ceiling.

His mind was working in overdrive, he couldn't stop thinking. He could still feel Sara's lips on his, they still tingled from her kisses. His skin still tingled from where she touched him, he couldn't get her out of his mind. He'd never be able to fall asleep.

After lying there for what seemed like forever, Michael glanced at the clock and saw that it was 9:00pm. It had only been an hour since he got home. He would never make it through the night like this. "I just have to get out of here," he said softly to himself. Getting out of bed, he pulled on a pair of tennis shoes and a hoodie. He grabbed his keys and then left, heading down to his car.

He just drove around, no real destination in mind. He drove around the city of Chicago, down the backstreets and the main streets, working on auto-pilot. He had no idea where he was going, until he ended up in front of Sara's apartment. Rolling his lips into his mouth, he stared at the building, wondering what he was doing there.

Parking the car, he sat there for a moment before getting out of the car. He walked up to the door, hitting the buzzer with her name on it. There was no answer, so he hit it again. Finally, he heard her voice through the intercom.

"Who's there?" she asked. Michael bit his bottom lip for a moment.

"Sara, it's Michael," he said. There was silence for a few seconds, and then she buzzed him up. He opened the door and walked up to her apartment slowly, his eyes scanning the hall as he did. When he got to her door, he stared at the numbers for a moment before raising his hand to knock. There was a shuffle inside, and then the door opened.

Sara stood in front of him in a pair of red pajama pants, little white hearts and stars decorating the fabric. She had on a big sweatshirt, and her hair was pulled back. Michael stood there for a moment, not saying anything.

"What are you doing here?" she asked him softly. Michael's eyes fell to her lips and before he knew what he was doing, he had moved forward, pressing his lips to hers. His hand snaked behind her neck, and his other arm wrapped around her waist.

Sara was startled by his sudden move, but she quickly responded, one of her hands moving up to cup his cheek as she returned his kiss. She walked backward into the apartment, and he kicked the door shut as he entered. His arms both hugged her at the waist, pulling her close to his body and her arms wrapped around his neck.

They kissed like their lives depended on it, Sara backing up until she hit a wall. She thought she might have been dreaming, she didn't believe that this could really be happening. A few hours ago, Michael was telling her that he couldn't do this, he couldn't hurt his brother. And here he was, his arms wrapped around her and kissing her like she had always dreamt of being kissed. She was the first to pull away.

"Michael," she said his name softly, her hand softly caressing his cheek. "What's going on?" she asked, her eyes staring into his. Michael's eyes locked onto hers and he gave her a little smile.

"I just couldn't stay away from you now that I know how you feel about me," he said. One of his hands moved up to tuck some hair that had fallen loose from her ponytail behind her ear. She smiled back at him, her heart beating a thousand beats a minute.

"It's all true … everything I said to you. I meant all of it," she said. He nodded.

"I know. And it's all reciprocated," he assured her. Her smile made him smile bigger and he leaned in to kiss her again. She wrapped her arms around his neck and returned his kisses, opening her mouth to him when his tongue silently asked for permission to enter.

They stayed like that, locked in the embrace, for a good long while, until they couldn't breathe anymore. They pulled apart panting and gazing into each other's eyes.

"I should go," he said softly, tucking some of her hair behind her ears again. She licked her lips and nodded.

"Yeah, you really should," she said, giving him a gentle kiss. He smiled at her.

"You're not helping me make my way to the door," he said. She snickered and nodded.

"I know," she said, kissing him again. He groaned.

"Sara," he warned playfully, backing up. She went with him.

"Stay," she begged softly. Michael tilted his head to the side, rolling his lips into his mouth. He leaned against the back of the couch once he hit it.

"I don't know if that's a good idea. Lincoln still has keys to your apartment," he reminded her. Sara nodded.

"Oh yeah," she said. She kissed him again. "I'll have to get those back from him when I break it off," she said. Michael frowned, glancing down at his hands.

"He's going to hate me," he started. Sara shook her head.

"No … he's your brother. He loves you, Michael. He'll understand," she assured him. Michael nodded, glancing up at her and giving her a small smile.

"I hope you're right," he said. She smiled.

"I'm always right," she teased. His smile grew, and he kissed her once more.

"Okay … I have to go. I'll see you soon," he promised. Sara nodded, walking with him to the door. She kisses him once again at the door then wrapped her arms around herself, watching him walk down to the elevators. Once he disappeared inside them, she went back into her apartment and leaned against the inside of the door. She was head over heels for that man.

-----

Returning back home, Michael entered the apartment quietly so he didn't wake his brother. It didn't work … Lincoln was sitting on the couch, watching television. Michael rolled his lips into his mouth and then cleared his throat. Lincoln turned to face him and gave him a nod.

"Hey," he said. Michael didn't say anything. He just dropped his keys and pulled off his hoodie, setting it down on the chair next to the door. He toed off his shoes and left them there too. "Where were you?" Lincoln asked him. Michael returned his gaze to his brother.

"Out," he said, feeling guilty. Lincoln raised a brow at him.

"You were here, I heard you. You were here for about an hour, and then you left," he said. Michael shrugged.

"I just wanted to drive around a little," he lied, moving to sit next to his brother. Clearing his throat, he decided to touch on the subject of he and Sara. "I got a phone call from Sara earlier," he said, glancing at his brother. Lincoln sighed, running his hand over his head.

"She told you what I did, didn't she?" he asked, glancing at Michael. The younger brother nodded.

"Yeah, she told me," he stated simply. "How could you do that, Linc? I mean … seriously?" he couldn't help but ask. In his mind, Sara was amazing. He didn't know why his brother would risk a relationship with her just to get off with some other woman. Lincoln sighed, shaking his head.

"I was at Johnny's," he started, turning off the TV and turning to face his brother. "He decided to throw me this huge party type thing since it had been so long since I'd been there. I was pretty drunk … it was near the end of the night. And then … you'll never guess who I saw," he continued. "Or … who found me," he corrected. Michael raised a brow, and shrugged.

"I haven't a clue," he said. Lincoln glanced down at his hands.

"Veronica Donovan," he stated. Michael was surprised to hear that name … he hadn't heard from Veronica since she went away to college. She was Lincoln's first love, Lincoln had loved her with all his heart. Well, as much as a high school kid could love another.

"Veronica? No way," he said, shaking his head. Lincoln looked at his brother.

"Would I make this up?" he asked. Michael shook his head. "Anyway. We sat, catching up and talking. Reminiscing about old times," he continued, glancing down at his hands. "One thing lead to another, and before I knew it, we were both upstairs in the room I was staying in," he explained. Michael sighed, running his hand over his neck. "I feel so bad for hurting Sara, as soon as I woke up, I high-tailed out of there. Veronica was pissed off," he continued.

"I don't know what to tell you, Lincoln. Sara's really hurt," Michael confirmed Lincoln's suspicions. He didn't know what to tell him about Sara wanting to call it off, he didn't know what to say at all.

"Yeah, I know. I fucked up, and I'm going to pay the price for it," he said. He glanced down at his hands for a few moments, before glancing back up at Michael. "Truthfully though, Michael … I don't feel as strongly for Sara as I did before," he confessed. Michael groaned inwardly. What was he, everyone's personal relationship counselor?

"What do you mean?" he asked. He really hoped that Lincoln wasn't in love with Sara … because he was. And he wouldn't feel nearly as guilty about seeing Sara if Lincoln didn't want to marry her.

"I don't know. I just don't feel the same way about her. I don't know if it was seeing Veronica again, or if it was just like you said in the beginning … we didn't know each other long enough," he shook his head. "I just … I don't feel the same way about her anymore." Michael listened to his brother and then nodded.

"I think you should tell her," he said simply. "I think you should be honest with her, tell her the truth, and just see what happens," he added. He stood up and ran a hand over his head. "Whatever you do, don't drag her on any longer," he said. He gave his brother a small smile. "And now I'm going to bed. Goodnight," he said. Lincoln nodded.

"Thanks for listening, Michael. Night," he said, turning back to the television. Michael nodded and headed into his bedroom. He was just confused, everything in his life was becoming extremely confusing. All over a woman. But, he told himself as he closed his eyes, she was worth it.

End Chapter Eight

02.13.2007


	9. Chapter 9

Author's Notes: Hey guys … here's the next chapter. I wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who's been reviewing my story so far, it makes me want to come back to post the next chapter for you guys. So … thank you!

A Recipe For Disaster

Chapter Nine

Sara woke up the next morning a little disappointed. She thought that the night before must have been a dream, something that good never really happened to her. Rolling over, she sighed and pulled her blankets up over her head. She didn't want to get out of her warm bed and go to work. Hearing her phone going off, she reached over and grabbed it, glancing at the ID. The name on the ID made her sit up in bed. She flipped the phone open.

"Hello?" she answered, her voice still a little sleepy.

"Morning … did I wake you up?" Michael asked. Sara smiled a little, laying back down in her bed.

"No, I was already awake. Kind of. Just arguing with myself about getting out of bed," she informed him. He laughed softly.

"I wanted to stay last night, but I didn't want to take any chances of Lincoln coming in or anything," he said, his voice had a slight tone of guilt to it.

"It's okay, another time," she said, her smile pretty evident in her words. "I'm going to break it off with him today," she continued. Michael was silent for a few moments before he spoke again.

"It's probably for the best. But I still feel so guilty," he said softly. Sara's heart surged with affection for the man she was speaking to. He had such a big heart, and she was so in love with him.

"Michael, there's nothing for you to feel guilty about. I would have ended things with Lincoln whether or not we started seeing each other. I just don't love him. I never really have. At least not in the husband and wife type way," she assured him.

"I guess you're right," he agreed. She smiled.

"Like I said last night … I'm always right," she teased. He laughed.

"What are you doing today?" he asked her. She glanced at the clock on her table, she should really start getting ready for work.

"I'm working today," she informed him.

"What do you say I stop by and have lunch with you?" he asked. She smiled.

"That would be really nice. Well, the you stopping by part. I can't promise anything about the cuisine of the hospital cafeteria," she said. Michael laughed.

"I think we'll survive," he said. He waited for a few moments and then spoke again. "So I'll see you around 12:30," he said.

"See you then," she agreed. She hung up the phone and smiled to herself, getting out of bed and moving to the shower. Last night had happened after all, and she couldn't be happier.

-----

Noon finally rolled around and Michael stood up from his desk, stretching his back and then grabbing his jacket. He closed his office and then headed down the stairs to the door, smiling at the receptionist.

"I'm meeting a friend for lunch, I should be back within an hour or so," he informed her. She nodded and made a note to forward his calls to his voicemail. Heading outside, he went right to his car and got in, starting it up and heading towards the hospital.

It only took him about fifteen minutes to get there, and when he arrived, he called Sara's cell. She answered on the fourth ring.

"Hey. I'll meet you at the door," she said, then hung up. Technically she wasn't supposed to have her cell phone on, but she left it on sometimes anyway. Michael got out of his car and headed towards the door, waiting for Sara to meet him. He smiled as he saw her walking towards him.

The doors opened and she walked up to him. He opened his arms and she went into them, letting him wrap them around her in a hug. He smiled to himself and then let go of her, giving her a quick kiss. "You ready to grab some food?" he asked. She smiled and nodded, leading him inside and then down to the cafeteria. Once they reached the elevators, Michael reached over and grabbed Sara's hand while they waited. It was a small gesture, but it made her heart skip a beat all the same.

"So have you seen Lincoln at all?" she asked, glancing up at him. Michael rolled his lips into his mouth and nodded as they got off the elevator in the basement. She lead the way to the cafeteria and he followed.

"Yeah, I saw him last night when I got back from your place," he informed her. She nodded as well.

"I'm going to talk to him after work tonight," she told Michael, turning to look at him as they waited in line. "I don't want to hurt him, but I just don't want to marry him, either," she said. Michael nodded, giving her hand a small squeeze.

"I know. I don't want to hurt him, either," he said softly. She glanced at him and gave him a small smile.

"You know, he doesn't have to know about us right away. We can kind of keep this to ourselves for awhile, just until we feel like he's ready to know the truth," she suggested. Michael turned his head to look at her. She had a valid point, they didn't have to tell Lincoln.

"Yeah but I don't want to lie to him either," he rationalized. She nodded.

"I know, but sometimes it's better to just omit something instead of telling him the complete truth," she pointed out. Michael nodded, listening to what she was saying.

"Okay, we'll keep this to ourselves for now, but I don't know how long I can go without telling him," he said. She gave him a smile, her thumb running over the back of his hand.

"You can tell him whenever you want to, Michael," she insisted. He nodded, returning her smile and placing a soft kiss on her lips.

-----

Michael and Sara had an enjoyable lunch, they always had a good time when they were together. After sitting there for about 40 minutes, Sara got paged and had to run to take care of a patient. She kissed him goodbye at the elevators and then took the stairs up to the first floor.

The rest of her day went by rather smoothly, and when it was time to go home, she was more than ready. Walking out to her car, she pulled out her cell phone and saw that she had missed a call from Lincoln. Calling her voicemail, she listened to what he had to say.

"Sara, it's Lincoln. Listen, I think that the two of us have to sit down and do some talking. Why don't we go out to dinner, and then we can just talk? I have a few things I need said, and I'm sure you have a few as well. Just … give me a call back and let me know what you think. Bye."

Sara had planned on talking to Lincoln anyway tonight, so she dialed his number and accepted his offer. She wanted to get this over with as soon as possible, because the things she had to say to him were starting to make her a little nervous. So they made plans to meet in twenty minutes at a restaurant near the hospital. Sara drove right there, parking her car and getting a table for the two of them. She ordered a beer and waited.

Lincoln arrived a few minutes early, glancing around to see if Sara arrived first. He spotted her at a table in the back and headed in that direction. He gave her a smile as he took the seat across from her, and she smiled back.

"Sara, how are you?" he asked. He hated how awkward this was. She was his fiancé, yet he felt like he didn't know a thing about her. She shrugged.

"I'm good. You?" she asked. He nodded.

"I'm doing pretty good," he said. They sat in an awkward silence for a few moments and then Sara cleared her throat.

"So, I was glad that you called, because there were a few things I wanted to talk to you about as well," she said. Lincoln nodded and ordered a beer from the waiter when he came by to take his beverage order.

"Just let me say what I need to say, and then you can have the floor," he said. Sara nodded and sat back in her chair, her beer in her hand. "I feel horrible about what happened while I was gone. I'm sorry that it hurt you, and I shouldn't have done it," he started. Clearing his throat, he took a sip of the beer that the waiter brought. He was interrupted by the waiter asking for their dinner orders, and so they ordered quickly.

Getting back on track, he began again. "I'm not going to try and make excuses for what happened. But I will say that the situation opened my eyes to something else," he stopped to take a breath and a sip of his beer. "I don't want this to come out as harsh as it sounds or anything, but I just don't think my feelings for you are as strong as I thought they were," he said.

Sara didn't say anything, she listened to what he had to say. When he told her that he didn't think his feelings were as strong anymore, she couldn't help but smile. "That doesn't sound harsh at all, Lincoln. Because that was the same thing I was going to tell you," she said, her fingers pulling at the label on the bottle of beer she was holding.

"Really?" he asked, raising a brow. She nodded.

"Yeah. I mean, I think you're a great guy. And you will make some woman very happy someday. I just don't think that woman is me," she said honestly. Lincoln let out a breath that he didn't even know he had been holding and leaned back in his chair, his hands behind his head.

"Thank god. I thought you were going to hate me for telling you that," he said. She smiled and shook her head.

"No, I don't hate you," she assured him.

"I wasn't sure what brought me to that conclusion. I don't know if it was seeing Veronica again, or if Michael was right from the start," he shook his head.

"Veronica?" Sara asked, taking another sip from her beer. The tension in the air had vanished, and it felt like they were two friends just catching up.

"The woman I slept with. I never told you about her?" he asked. Sara shook her head. The waiter brought their food and set it down in front of them, and they both dug in. "Veronica was my first love," he explained. Sara nodded in understanding.

"I see," she said. Lincoln nodded.

"I hope that we can still be friends. I do care about you, Sara. I really do. I just don't think I was ever really in love with you," he admitted. Sara smiled and nodded.

"Of course we can be friends. You're a great guy and I'd like to have you in my life as a friend," she assured him. He smiled and dug into his burger. They spent the next hour or so just talking and laughing like old friends.

-----

After dinner, Sara walked out to her car feeling like a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. They had agreed to break off the engagement and just be friends. And she didn't even hurt him in the process. It made her very happy. Getting into her car, she pulled out her cell phone and dialed Michael's number. Starting her car, she headed towards her apartment as she waited for him to answer.

"Hello?" she smiled when she heard his voice.

"Hey, you," she said, her head against the headrest.

"Hey. How'd it go?" Michael asked.

"Really well, actually. Why don't you come over and I can tell you about it," she said.

"Eh, I don't know. I'm pretty comfortable lying on my own bed right now," he said. Sara could hear the smile in his voice.

"I can make it worth your while," she coaxed. Michael snickered.

"Is that so?" he asked.

"Mmhmm, it is. I got my keys back from your brother, so bring a change of clothes for the morning," she added, then hung up the phone. Michael smiled as the connection was cut and he closed his phone, getting up off of his bed. He grabbed a pair of slacks and a dress shirt out of his closet and packed some other stuff he might need into a duffel bag. Grabbing his keys and his cell phone, he headed out the door and down to his car.

His apartment was closer to Sara's apartment than the hospital was, so he beat Sara there by a few minutes. Seeing her car pull up, he got out of the car and leaned against it, holding his pants and dress shirt in one hand and his duffle bag flung over his shoulder.

Sara got out of her car and headed towards her door, smiling when she saw Michael standing against his car. "Hey stranger," she said, walking up to him and kissing him. He smiled when she pulled away and pushed himself off of the car.

"Well, hello," he said. She smiled and they walked up to her apartment. Once inside, she showed him her closet where he could hang his pants and shirt, and then he dropped his duffle bag on the floor before following her out into the living room.

"Want a cup of coffee?" she asked. Michael smiled.

"You and your coffee. Sure, I'd love a cup," he said. He sat down on the couch and waited for her while she turned on the coffee maker. She joined him in a few minutes, sitting next to him on the couch. "So, what happened?" he asked. She sighed, turning so her back was facing him and then leaned against his side. He raised his arm and rested it on the back of the couch, his other moving so his hand could run through her hair. He had been dreaming about running his fingers through her silky hair for awhile.

"It went really well. He brought up that his feelings for me weren't as strong as they used to be, and then I told him that I didn't feel as strongly for him, either. We agreed that we want to stay friends," she told him. He smiled down at her. "I'm just happy that I didn't have to hurt him. It was the thing that was bothering me the most about the whole situation. I mean, it wasn't going to stop me from doing it. Because I want to be with you so badly," she said, looking up so her eyes met his. He smiled and leaned down, pressing his lips to hers.

She reacted after a few moments, returning his kiss and reaching one of her hands up to slip behind his neck and hold him to her. They kissed for a few moments before she pulled away.

"I want to be with you, too," he said. The smile that crossed her face made his heart melt and she sat up and kissed him again. He wrapped his arms around her waist to pull her closer to him, into his lap. She straddled his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck, letting him take the lead with the kiss. She had never been kissed like he kissed her. When he kissed her, she felt dizzy and lightheaded and like her heart was going to beat right out of her chest. She liked it. She liked it a lot.

They stayed like that, locked in an embrace for a few minutes. When they finally pulled apart, he tucked her hair behind her ear and rested his forehead against hers. Opening his eyes, he looked into hers and gave her a small smile. She returned the smile and caressed his cheek softly with her hand. She wasn't sure how it happened, but she managed to fall madly in love with this man in the course of a month or so.

She rolled her lips into her mouth. Michael could tell that there was something she wanted to say. He tucked some hair behind her ears again. "What are you thinking about?" he asked, his eyes seeking out hers. She gave him a small smile.

"I was just thinking … I want to take this one slow," she said. Michael sat for a minute, his eyes locked on hers before he smiled and nodded.

"I understand, and that's perfectly fine with me," he said. She knew he would understand. He was the most understanding man she had ever met. And it made her fall for him even harder.

"Do you mind if we turn in a little early? I'm kind of tired, and I wouldn't mind finding out what it feels like having you holding me," she said. Michael smiled and nodded. She stood up and he followed her lead. He swooped her up and began carrying her in the direction of the bedroom.

"What about the coffee you started making?" he asked. She shrugged.

"It'll be fine," she said. He smiled and nodded. They got into her bed and she shut off the lights, scooting close to him. Michael kissed the back of her neck and wrapped his arms around her, holding her close to his body. He was perfectly fine with taking things slow with her, he'd let her make the calls. Nuzzling the back of her neck with his nose, he smiled. As long as he got to hold her like this, he couldn't complain.

End Chapter Nine

02.19.2007


	10. Chapter 10

Author's Notes: I'm SO SORRY that this chapter took so long to get up. I've been super crazy busy lately … my life has been incredibly hectic. I'm taking the time out to post this chapter, though.

My laptop broke last night … well, not the laptop, but the AC Adapter that plugs it in. And since my cord didn't work right to begin with, it didn't charge my laptop so I could use it without the cord. So I ordered another cord last night, so we'll see when it returns. Being without a computer at home might give me more time to write, we'll have to see.

About these next few chapters … chapters ten and eleven go together … but I had to split it up otherwise chapter ten would be about fifteen pages in word. So I split it into two chapters. Enjoy!!

A Recipe For Disaster

Chapter Ten

Michael and Sara had been seeing each other for a week, and were still keeping it a secret from Lincoln. Michael was beginning to feel extremely guilty. He'd spent most of the nights that week over at Sara's, he liked sleeping in the same bed as her. It was comfortable, and he liked seeing her first thing in the morning. He knew that he had it bad, he wasn't denying that he was crazy about her. He was absolutely, 100 crazy about her.

Driving back to his apartment after work on Friday, his fingers were tapping the steering wheel. He and Sara had decided that they were going to go on a real date tonight. The whole pick her up, take her somewhere, treat her like a princess kind of date. Michael was excited. Pulling into his parking lot, he got out of his car and headed upstairs, taking out his keys to unlock the door. He didn't see his brother, so he went right into the back to get ready.

He took a quick shower, wrapping a towel around his waist when he got out. He stood in front of the mirror and shaved, washing the excess shaving cream off his face when he was done. He put on some deodorant and then slapped on some cologne, giving his reflection a small smile. Opening the door, he was surprised to see Lincoln leaning against the wall opposite the bathroom door.

"Lincoln, hi," Michael said, clearing his throat and giving his brother a smile. Lincoln smirked.

"Someone's getting all dressed up," he observed. Michael smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, going out with some work colleagues tonight," he lied. He hated lying to his brother. Absolutely hated it.

"Liar. Why are you lying to me? If you were going out with work colleagues, you wouldn't have come home to shower first," Lincoln pointed out, the smirk still on his face. Michael moved out of the bathroom and down the hall to his room. Lincoln followed him. "So … who is she? Why haven't you told me about her?" Lincoln asked. Michael moved to his closet to look for something to wear. He had told Sara to dress a little formal, he was going to take her to a nice restaurant.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Michael said, grabbing a pair of black pants out of his closet and setting them on his bed. He opened the drawer of his dresser with his boxers and pulled out a pair of black boxer briefs, pulling them on underneath his towel and then discarding the towel.

"You can't lie worth a shit, you know that, right?" Lincoln teased, leaning against the doorframe that lead into Michael's bedroom. His eyes followed his brother as he got ready to go out. "I know you're going on a date, and I'm happy for you, Michael," he said. Michael glanced over at him and gave him a small smile.

"Thanks," he said, pulling on the pants. He went back to his closet to look for a shirt and pulled out a blue button-up shirt. He set it on his bed and grabbed a white wifebeater from his dresser, putting it on and then pulling the blue shirt on over it. He left a few buttons at the top undone and then sat down on the edge of his bed, pulling on socks and shoes.

"Come on, tell me about her. You haven't been sleeping here a lot this past week or so, so I'm assuming you're sleeping at her place," Lincoln urged. Michael laughed, shaking his head.

"I don't kiss and tell, Linc," he said, shrugging. Lincoln snickered.

"Ahh, so that means you have been doing the kissing!" he said. Michael laughed again, Lincoln sounded like a child.

"I'm not saying a word," Michael shook his head.

"Fine, be that way," Lincoln pouted, before smiling again. "But I am happy for you, Michael. It's about time you found someone to make you happy."

Michael smiled and patted his brother on the shoulder. "What about you? What have you been up to this past week? When I am home, you're not," he pointed out while rolling up the sleeves on his shirt. Lincoln shrugged.

"I'm catching up with V. Spending time with her," he answered. Michael smiled, he had always liked Veronica. He held his hand out and pointed at his brother.

"Don't fuck with her head this time, Linc. Either decide that you want to be with her, or don't. But don't you fuck her over again," Michael warned. Lincoln laughed.

"Hey, we're just friends. And besides, if we decide to take our friendship in that direction, I'm much more mature now than I was when I graduated high school," he said. Michael laughed as he left his bedroom, Lincoln following him.

"Says you," he smirked. Lincoln punched his arm and Michael laughed harder, rubbing the spot that he was just punched in. "Ouch, asshole," he grabbed his keys and his cell phone. Lincoln smirked.

"Should I wait up for you?" he asked. Michael glanced back at his brother and then rolled his eyes.

"No. I probably won't be home at all," he said, and then he waved goodbye to his brother before going back down to his car. He got inside and started it up, heading in the direction of Sara's apartment.

-----

Sara was having a hard time deciding what she wanted to wear. She was off today, so she had spent most of her afternoon going through her closet, searching for something that she thought worked.

She was currently torn between two dresses. Both dresses were black, but one was much shorter and a little more form fitting than the other. She hadn't worn that dress in years, but she thought she looked good in it. The second dress was a little loose in the bodice, but it clung to her curves and it went down to the floor.

Finally opting for the second dress, Sara pulled it on and checked out her reflection in the mirror. She spun once, smiling at her reflection. She hoped Michael liked it. She had never felt for any other man the way she felt about him. Just the thought of spending time with him made a smile appear on her face and the sound of his voice made her heart beat faster.

Moving into the bathroom, she opened her makeup bag and dug through it. She rarely wore makeup, it wasn't really her thing. But she wanted to look her best for him tonight. He hadn't really alluded to much about their activities for the evening, but he did tell her that they would be going to a nice restaurant for dinner. Once she had finished applying her makeup, she went back into her room and slipped on the high-heeled shoes that she'd be wearing.

Admiring the complete look in her full-length mirror, she heard the buzzer out in her living room. Michael was there. Smiling, she moved out and pressed the button to speak. "Who's there?" she asked.

"Just some random guy who's come by to sweep you off your feet," Sara smiled even bigger when she heard Michael's voice. Shaking her head, she laughed a little.

"Is that right? I'm sorry, that position has already been filled," she answered back. She heard him chuckle.

"Come on, let me up," he insisted. She smiled and hit the button to let him up and she opened her door so he wouldn't have to knock. She retreated back into her bedroom to grab her coat and she heard the door shut.

"Sara?" Michael called, glancing around the living room. Sara grabbed her perfume and sprayed a little on, giving herself one last glance in the mirror. Nodding, she headed out to the living room to meet the man who made her heart skip a beat.

Michael froze when his gaze landed on Sara as she emerged out of her bedroom. A smile crossed his face as he gained his composure and he let out a low whistle. Sara smiled and walked closer to him.

"You look nice," she commented, stopping in front of him and placing a kiss on his cheek. Michael smiled and let his eyes take her in completely once more.

"Thank you. And you," he paused, taking a step back to let his eyes roam her body before stepping closer to her again, "you are just the definition of the word stunning, Miss Tancredi," he said. Sara smiled and felt a small blush rise up in her cheeks.

"Why, thank you," she said. Michael leaned in and gave her a soft kiss.

"You clean up nice," he teased. She hit his arm and he laughed, running his hand over the spot she hit. "Are you ready?" he asked. She nodded and he held out his arm. "Then, shall we?"

She linked her arm through his and they made their way out the door and down to his car.

-----

Michael did have a reservation at a nice restaurant, and they were seated right away. He ordered a bottle of wine, only indulging in a little of it because he didn't want to get tipsy or buzzed and then drive. He smiled at Sara across the table and she smiled back at him.

"This is a nice place," she said, lifting the wine glass to her lips to drink a sip. Michael smiled and nodded.

"Yeah … I've only been here a few times. Never brought a woman here before," he said. Sara smiled.

"Well then I'm glad that I'm your first," she teased. Michael laughed.

"I am too," he said, nodding. The waiter came by and took their orders, and then left them alone again. Sara reached for her wine glass again and then glanced up, catching Michael staring at her. She smiled.

"What?" she asked. "Do I have something on my face or something?" she asked. Michael smiled and shook his head.

"No, nothing like that. I was just admiring how incredibly beautiful you are," he said. Sara felt her cheeks blush again. She never blushed. But the way Michael was looking at her, mixed with the compliments pouring out of his mouth, she couldn't help but blush. He smiled and reached across the table, grabbing her hand and kissing it.

"You, Michael Scofield, are absolutely amazing. I don't know how some other woman hadn't snatched you up yet," Sara said, intertwining her fingers with his. He shrugged.

"I just never found the right woman," he said, his thumb caressing over the top of her hand, "until now," he added, a smile on his face. Sara smiled and nodded.

"I feel the same way about you," she admitted. She was head over heels in love with this man, he was by far the sweetest, most caring man she had ever met.

They continued through dinner with idle chatter, talking about their jobs and pretty much anything that came to mind until their dinner came. They ate in a comfortable silence, letting each other sample their dishes. Before the end of the night, Sara ended up sitting in the seat next to Michael at the table instead of across from him.

After the waiter took their plates away and asked if they wanted dessert, Sara shook her head. "No way," she said, patting her belly. "I'm full," she said. Michael smiled, turning to the waiter.

"No thank you, we'll take the check," he said. He pulled out his credit card and handed it to the waiter. Sara took Michael's hand closest to her in hers.

"So what else did you have planned for this evening?" she asked. Michael looked at her and raised a brow.

"I take you out to a nice restaurant, buy you dinner, and you expect me to have thought of something else to do as well? Jesus, woman. You're pretty demanding," he teased. Sara laughed and rolled her eyes.

"Oh, don't be a pain in the ass," she told him. He smiled and shook his head.

"I'm not telling. We're just going to go for a walk," he said, glancing at his watch. It was about 8:00pm, they had plenty of time.

"So secretive," she said, then smiled at him. He leaned over and placed a kiss on her lips.

"Not secretive. I just want to surprise you," he said. She smiled.

The waiter brought the check back and Michael left a generous tip, signing the bottom. He stood up and grabbed Sara's coat, holding it out to help her put it on. Once she had it on, he pulled his on and took her hand.

"You ready?" he asked. She smiled and nodded.

"I was born ready, baby," she said. He laughed. They left the restaurant and she moved towards where his car was parked, but he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her back towards him.

"Nope, wrong way," he said. She raised a brow at him, but walked in the opposite direction with him. He pulled her closer to him and she slipped her arm around his waist, while he slipped his around her shoulders. They walked down a few blocks and once they neared their destination, Sara realized where they were going.

"Are you taking me to the Navy Pier?" she asked. Michael glanced at her and smiled, shrugging. "I think we're severely overdressed for Navy Pier," she added. He laughed and nodded.

"Yeah, we kind of are. But it doesn't really matter," he said. They walked under the bridge and then down the hill that lead to the pier. Sara smiled, she loved the pier. She hadn't been here in such a long time, she never really found a reason to anymore.

"I used to come to this place all the time when I was little," she said, glancing around at all the little kids running around playing and the parents sitting watching them. Michael glanced over at her and smiled.

"Oh yeah? So did I. I wonder if we ever ran into each other here when we were little," he said. She smiled and shrugged.

"It's possible," she said. They made it all the way down to the end of the pier hand in hand, just taking in the scenery and enjoying each other's company. Sara moved to the railing on the pier and snaked her arms over it, glancing out at the lake in front of her. She smiled when she felt Michael's arms snake around her waist and kiss the back of her neck.

"Are you having a good time?" he asked her into her ear. She smiled and nodded.

"I'm having a great time," she told him. He smiled.

"Good," he said. He glanced at his watch and smiled, the fireworks should be starting any minute now. Sure enough, there was an announcement stating that the fireworks would be starting in about five minutes. Sara turned her head to face him and smiled bigger.

"Fireworks?" she asked. He smiled and nodded.

"You are the sweetest man ever," she said, turning around in his arms and wrapping her arms around his neck, kissing him. He tightened his grip around her waist, pulling her closer to him and returning her kiss. They stayed like that, locked in an embrace as the fireworks started.

Pulling apart finally, Michael placed a kiss on her nose and smiled before glancing up at the sky. She leaned her head against his chest and slid her arms around his waist in a hug as they watched the fireworks. Michael kissed the top of her head before turning to rest his cheek on the same spot. The moment felt perfect.

End Chapter Ten

02.21.2007


	11. Chapter 11

Author's Notes: Here's chapter eleven! It's a continuation of the same night that chapter ten took place in, so make sure to read that one first. Hope you guys enjoy!

A Recipe For Disaster

Chapter Eleven

They spent about an hour on the pier, just walking along it and talking, sharing stories about their youth and the things they used to do on the pier. They sat down on a bench and Michael told Sara what he remembered of his mother, when she used to bring him and Lincoln there. She died when he was six, so he didn't remember much. Sara listened and laid a comforting hand on his knee as he talked.

They finally left the pier a little before it closed at 10:00, and walked back to his car. The drive back to her apartment was spent in a comfortable silence, Michael's hand running soothingly over Sara's upper thigh. When they arrived back at Sara's apartment, Michael parked his car and turned his head to look at her. She smiled.

"Since this is technically our first date, I think you should kiss me goodbye and go home," she said. Michael raised a brow at her.

"Psht, you're not even going to invite me upstairs for a nightcap?" he asked. She laughed and leaned across the seat, kissing him.

"Nope, I'm gonna do you one better. I'm gonna invite you upstairs to stay tonight," she said. He smiled and nodded.

"I'll stay tonight," he agreed. He smile grew and she leaned across the seat and kissed him again, letting it linger a little bit. Michael's hand cupped her cheek and he pulled away, giving her a smile.

"Okay, come on. Let's go upstairs," she said. She got out of the car and he grabbed her hand, walking up to the door together. Sara glanced over at Michael as they were walking up the stairs. He glanced over at her and smiled.

"What?" he asked when he noticed she was staring. She shook her head and smiled.

"Just thinking," she said. They reached her door and she dug out her keys, unlocking her door.

"Thinking about what?" he asked. Sara just smiled as she dropped her handbag on the chair next to the door.

"Stuff," she said. Michael raised a brow.

"Are you being purposely vague?" he asked, taking off his jacket and laying it over the back of the chair. Sara shrugged.

"Do you want anything to drink?" she asked. Michael nodded.

"Yeah, do you have a beer or anything?" he asked, following her into the kitchen. She nodded and grabbed two beers out of the fridge. They walked back into the living room and sat down on the couch. Smiling at her, he clinked his bottle against hers and took a sip. "So did you have a good time tonight?" he asked. Sara smiled and nodded.

"I did. I had a wonderful time," she said. She kicked her shoes off and then curled up on the couch next to him, leaning against his side and resting her head on his shoulder. He slid his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to him, kissing her head.

"Good, I'm glad," he said. She turned her head to look at him and then put her finger under his chin, turning his head to face her. She smiled at him and leaned in, kissing him. Michael smiled against her lips, returning her kiss and tightening his arm around her shoulders. He loved kissing her, he could kiss her forever.

Sara loved kissing him as well. The feel of his lips on hers was enough to make her a little dizzy and lightheaded. Deepening the kiss, she ran her tongue over his bottom lip, bringing one of her hands up to cup his cheek. He obliged and opened his mouth to her, letting her take the kiss deeper.

After a few moments, Sara's hand blindly felt for the bottle in Michael's hand. Once she grabbed it, she pulled it out of his hand and broke the kiss, leaning forward and placing both bottles on the coffee table in front of the couch. Moving back to him, she kissed him again and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him like her life depended on it.

Michael returned her kisses, his arms slipping around her waist to hold her tight to him. She moved herself onto his lap, pulling her dress up a bit and then straddling his hips. Her arms returned to his neck and he groaned softly against her lips. Finally breaking the kiss, Sara rested her forehead against hers, her eyes still closed. Michael's hands were slowly stroking across her back, holding her to him.

She opened her eyes and gave him a small smile, her hand sliding up to the top of his button-up shirt. She started slowly popping his buttons open and he watched her until she finished. She slid his shirt off his shoulders and he let her, throwing it off to the side. She kissed him again and he closed his eyes, his hand sliding up her back to the top of her dress, fingering the zipper and then grabbing hold of it, slowly pulling it down.

She shuddered in anticipation of what she expected was going to happen, and broke the kiss again. Her hands moved down to the hem of his wifebeater, pulling it up and over his head, tossing it aside to join his overshirt. Moving his eyes to meet hers again, Michael tilted her chin up so her eyes looked into his.

"I thought you wanted to take things slow," he said softly. She smiled, he was probably the most considerate man she had ever met.

"I did. And now I'm ready to take them further," she said. Michael nodded, his hands running over her exposed back between the open zipper.

"Are you sure about this? I don't want you to think that you have to do this because we had a good time tonight," he said. She smiled again and nodded her head.

"I'm positive about this," she assured him. He let a small smile cross his face and then pulled her closer to him, kissing her again. His hands moved to her shoulders and he slid the straps of her dress off her shoulders so the dress pooled at her waist, leaving her in only her bra from the waist up. Michael broke the kiss and sat back, letting himself admire her body. She was absolutely beautiful, every single thing about her made him fall for her harder and harder. He smiled at her and brushed some of her hair away from her face.

"You are so beautiful," he said, his hand caressing her cheek. Sara blushed slightly and smiled, getting up off of his lap and letting her dress fall off her the rest of the way, leaving her in just a bra and panties. Smiling at him, she began walking towards the bedroom. When she reached the hallway, she turned to face him.

"Lose the pants," she smirked, then crooked a finger at him before continuing the rest of the way to her bedroom.

"Yes, ma'am," Michael only sat on the couch for a second before he stood up and unbuckled his belt, and then undid his pants, dropping them to the floor. He followed her into her bedroom wearing his black boxer briefs. Sara was laying on her bed on her back, just waiting for him. The sight made Michael suck in a breath and he could feel himself starting to harden. She smirked at him.

"I love when you wear boxer briefs," she said softly. Michael smirked and leaned against the doorframe.

"Is that so? Why's that?" he asked. Sara got up onto her knees and then began to crawl to the end of the bed. Michael's throat went dry and he swallowed a few times.

"Because. They're so fucking sexy. And they leave absolutely nothing to the imagination," she said. Once she reached the end of the bed, she sat up on her knees, her arms raising up to take the clip out of her hair. Michael pushed himself off the doorframe and walked over to the bed, taking her into his arms and kissing her again. She was driving him absolutely fucking crazy, he couldn't stand it anymore.

She giggled against his lips, falling backwards onto the bed as he pushed her in that direction. He held himself above her with one arm, not wanting to put his full weight on her tiny frame. Sara wasn't having that. Using every ounce of strength she possessed, she rolled them over so that she could pin him to her mattress, her arms pinning his wrists to the bedspread. She straddled his waist and smirked down at him, her hair falling around and framing her face.

"Now that's sexy," he said, smirking up at her. She raised a brow.

"What's sexy?" she asked. He smiled.

"You taking the lead. Being dominant. That's sexy as hell," he said. Her smile grew and her brow rose further.

"Is that so?" she asked. He smirked and nodded. "I'll have to remember that for a later date," she said. He laughed, and she leaned down, pressing her chest into his as she kissed him. She let go of his wrists and he reached around, feeling for the clasp of her bra. Undoing it, he pulled the straps over her arms, throwing the article of clothing aside once it was off.

"So sexy," he murmured against her lips. She pressed her bare chest against his, letting a soft sigh pass from her mouth to his at the contact. Sitting up and breaking the kiss, she licked her lips and Michael craned his neck, taking one of her nipples into his mouth. Sara moaned, biting her bottom lip and holding his head to her breast. Michael sat up, trailing kisses across her chest to her other nipple, giving it the same attention that he gave the first.

"Mmm, Michael," she moaned softly, her eyes closed and her head tilted back. He kissed up her chest to her neck, alternating between kissing, licking, and nibbling at the skin behind her ear. She felt his erection pressing into her leg, and she ran her hand down his chest, slipping it inside his boxer briefs and grasping him. Michael let out a soft groan against her skin, pulling his head back.

"Sara," he groaned softly. She ran her free hand over his scalp and then looked into his eyes.

"Hmm?" she asked, giving him an innocent look like she wasn't doing anything. She ran her hand down the length of his cock and then back up.

"Fuck, Sara," he closed his eyes and moved his hand down to still hers. She tilted her head to the side. "If you don't stop that, I won't last too long. It's been awhile," he confessed. She smiled at him and leaned in kissing him, removing her hand from his boxers. She pushed him back to lay on the bed, hovering over him and then breaking away from his mouth, trailing kisses down his jawline and over his collarbone and then to his chest. She teased his nipples for a few moments with her tongue before sitting up and grabbing the waistband of his boxers, pulling them down. He sucked in a breath as the cold air hit his erect cock which was now standing full at attention.

Michael watched Sara climb back up his body with an amused smile on his face. He wanted to make her feel absolutely fantastic, he wanted to make her moan his name. Once she reached him to kiss him again, he flipped them over so he was on top again and then kissed down her body, stopping once he reached her panties. He kissed his way back up to her nipples, slipping his hand up her thigh and teasing her inner thigh.

Sara sighed happily, licking her lips and closing her eyes, enjoying the things he was doing to her. Michael's hand then pushed her panties aside, letting his fingers slip between her delicate folds and caress her. She had a sharp intake of breath at the surprise of his fingers on her clit, and then she moaned. He rubbed her clit slowly for a few moments before he removed his lips from her nipple. Sara was writhing on the bed beneath him and he loved it.

"Please, Michael," she begged softly, her eyes opening to look at him. "Please, I need you," she continued. Michael moved his hand away from her clit, using both of his hands to pull her panties down and then he glanced up at her.

"Please tell me that you have a condom in here," he said, his eyes pleading with her. He had one in his wallet, but that was out in his pants. And he didn't want to have to go out there to get it. She smiled and nodded, glancing at the side table. Opening the drawer, Michael reached for a condom and opened it, slipping it onto himself.

"Please," Sara begged again, looking into his eyes. Michael gave her a small smile. He positioned himself at her entrance.

"You're sure about this?" he asked once more. Sara wrapped her legs around his waist and pushed him into her instead of answering. They both moaned at the contact. Michael had never been with someone that made him feel so fucking good before. Licking his lips, he stopped once he was buried inside her to the hilt to let her get accustomed to his size. Finally opening her eyes and giving him a nod, Sara told Michael that he could begin moving again.

Michael started out with slow and gentle thrusts, but soon it was evident that they both needed more than that. He placed his hands on either side of her head, quickening his speed and focusing on her. They began moving together in sync like it was a rhythm that they both knew from a long time ago. Sara had never been with a man that cared more about her pleasure than his, it was amazing to her. He was amazing.

Michael could feel himself coming closer to the edge, and he knew that it was only a matter of time. Moving one of his hands down, his fingers found Sara's clit again and he rubbed the nub of flesh as fast as he could, wanting her to go over that edge with him.

"Fuck, Michael … don't stop," Sara begged, her arms wrapping around him and her fingernails clawing at his back. She couldn't think, she couldn't form a coherent thought in her mind.

"Come on, baby," Michael encouraged, his fingers working as fast as they could. "Come on, Sara," he whispered into her ear, taking her earlobe into his mouth and sucking on it. Sara moaned loudly, her back arching up and her toes curling.

"Michael, fuck," Sara moaned his name. She was mumbling nonsense words, and finally just focused on his name. She repeated his name over and over again, and when she finally came, she experienced an orgasm better than any orgasm she had ever had. Michael was right behind her, finally letting himself go when she did.

He collapsed on top of her and tried to catch his breath. He knew that sex with Sara was going to be fantastic, but he had no idea that it was going to be completely fucking earth-shattering.

After lying there for a few moments with Sara's arms wrapped around him and caressing his bare back, Michael lifted his head and glanced down at the woman lying beneath him. He gave her a small smile and leaned down, giving her a sweet kiss. She smiled back at him.

"That was amazing," she said. Michael smiled and nodded, pulling out of her and then rolling off, taking off the condom and tying it, throwing it into the garbage can next to the bed. He'd have to remember to take care of that in the morning. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to him.

"It was pretty fantastic," he agreed. Sara rolled over onto her side so she was facing him, resting her head on her hand and using her other hand to draw patterns on his chest. Michael watched her for a few moments and he noticed that it looked like she had something on her mind. "Hey," he said softly. Sara's eyes glanced up to meet his.

"Hmm?" she asked.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked. Sara smiled at him and shrugged.

"Nothing, really. I was just thinking that it might be too soon for me to tell you that I'm head over heels in love with you," she said. Michael stared at her for a few moments before smiling. He shook his head.

"No, it's not too early for that," he said. He leaned over and kissed her gently, smiling at her when he pulled away. "I'm in love with you, too," he admitted. The smile that crossed Sara's face made his grow and she hugged him tightly. He kissed the top of her head and sighed happily, his arms wrapped around her.

"Let's go to sleep," she said, nuzzling her face against his neck. "And then maybe we can have a repeat performance in the morning," she said. Michael snickered and nodded.

"Night, Sara," he said. She smiled and kissed his cheek.

"Night, baby," she said. Michael smiled and closed his eyes, hugging her close to him. He fell asleep right away and had sweet dreams about the woman in his arms.

End Chapter Eleven

04.10.2007


	12. Chapter 12

Author's Notes: Hey guys! I know it's been awhile since a chapter update, but my life has been INCREDIBLY hectic lately. Between trips to Bradford, PA every other weekend to visit a friend, and work being insane, I haven't had much time to sleep, let alone write. But I've gotten chapter twelve completed, and here you go! Enjoy!

A Recipe For Disaster

Chapter Twelve

It had been about a week and a half since Michael and Sara's first night together. It seemed to them that they started something that they couldn't stop, because now they couldn't keep their hands off each other. Michael stayed at Sara's place a few nights a week, whenever possible, and those were the nights that he always got the least amount of sleep, feeling like a zombie at work the next day. But, he thought, it was worth it.

He was insanely in love with Sara, she occupied his thoughts most of the time without fail. He'd catch himself thinking about the way she smiled at him, about the way she'd twirl her hair around her finger when she was bored. This was what he was doing at the moment, sitting in front of his computer at work. He was supposed to go right to her place after work, she was cooking him dinner and he couldn't wait to see her.

His phone in his office rang, interrupting his thoughts and he cleared his throat, reaching for it and holding the receiver to his ear.

"This is Michael Scofield," he greeted the caller.

"Mr. Scofield, I have a Sara Tancredi down here to see you. She said that you're expecting her," the receptionist downstairs informed him. A small smile crossed his face.

"Yeah, thanks Kathy. Send her on up," he said, then hung up the phone. He glanced back at his computer screen, refreshing his memory of what he was doing before he started thinking about her and distracting himself. A few moments later, there was a knock on his door and the object of his distraction poked her head into his office.

"Hey baby, are you busy?" she asked. Michael smiled and shook his head.

"Never too busy for you. What's up?" he asked. She came into the office and shut the door behind her, walking over to his desk and sitting on the edge in front of him. He closed the project he was working on and then turned to her, giving her his attention. She smiled at him.

"What do you want for dinner?" she asked, a small smirk on her face. He couldn't help the smile that crossed his face.

"You came all the way here just to ask me what I want for dinner?" he asked, raising a brow. Sara shrugged.

"Yeah," she said. Michael's smile grew.

"You could have called. That's what phones are for, Sara," he said. She nodded.

"I know. But I was in the neighborhood and I wanted to see you. So I figured I'd just kill two birds with one stone," she said. She smiled sweetly and raised a brow. "So what do you want for dinner?" she asked again. Michael laughed, shaking his head.

"Oh … I don't know, babe. Surprise me," he said, shrugging. She smiled and nodded, hopping off his desk.

"I can do that," she said. She put her hands on the armrests of his chair, leaning down and placing a kiss on his lips. Like things always did with them, their attraction and chemistry took over and things escalated. Michael returned her kiss and pulled her down onto his chair with him. Sara giggled against his lips and untucked his shirt, sliding her hand up the inside of it, up his bare chest.

"Hey," he laughed against her lips, pulling away as she tweaked his nipple. He raised a hand to hers and pulled it away, rubbing over his nipple to soothe the pain she caused. "That wasn't nice, and I'm going to punish you for that later. But right now," he kissed her softly, forcing himself to pull away, "you've gotta get outta here. Before something happens in this office that should definitely not happen," he said. Sara snickered and removed her hands from inside his shirt and nodded.

"Okay, fine. When are you getting out of here?" she asked, leaning in and nibbling on his earlobe. She had found out that it was his sweet spot and she used it against him every chance she had. Michael groaned softly, his eyes falling closed.

"Sara," he warned softly, licking his lips. She was making him hard. "You keep that up and I won't be held accountable for my actions," he continued. She snickered, letting his earlobe fall from between her lips.

"Okay, okay," she said. She gave him a little pout and he laughed, smacking her ass.

"I'll be by your place probably around 5:30," he told her. He had some clothes there for when he spent the night and didn't get to his place to change. They didn't want to move in together too early into the relationship and ruin what was between them.

"5:30? Okay. I'll see you then," she said. She leaned in and kissed him again and he groaned against her lips, she was purposely shifting her hips to tease him. Smirking as she pulled away, she raised herself off his lap and then walked across his office, blowing him a kiss from the doorway before leaving. Michael watched her go and shook his head. She had managed to make him a little hard in the five minutes she was there. He loved her so much, but that woman was going to be the death of him.

-----

Making his way to Sara's apartment after work, Michael parked his car in a parking space and then headed inside. He hit the buzzer and waited for her to answer, rocking on his heels. Sara's voice came over the intercom a few seconds later.

"Yeah?" she called down. Michael smirked.

"Hey, let me up," he said. There was a pause, and then he heard the buzzer to open the door. He took the stairs two at a time and then knocked on the door. When his fist made contact he realized that the door was open already and pushed it open, entering the apartment. He took off his coat and then looked around, in search of his girlfriend. "Sara?" he called, dropping the jacket on the chair by the door.

"I'm in the kitchen," she called. Michael headed in the direction of the kitchen, stopping in his tracks once he reached the doorway. Sara stood there at the stove, cooking in her bra and panties. He raised a brow.

"Um … nice outfit," he said softly, leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed. Sara turned to look at him and smirked, shrugging.

"I took a shower, and then forgot to finish putting my clothes on because I got focused on cooking for you," she said. Michael snickered and nodded, pushing himself off the doorframe and walking further into the kitchen.

"Uh-huh. I'm sure that's exactly how it went down," he smirked, approaching her and sliding his arm around her waist.

"It is. Why would I lie?" she asked, her head turning to look at him. He smirked again, his hand moving to take the spatula out of her hand.

"Is that chicken done?" he asked. Sara nodded and then Michael smiled. "Good. It can wait," he said, picking her up and carrying her over to the couch.

-----

A few hours later, they were both starving and were glad that Michael had let her actually finish the food before he ravaged her. They sat on the couch in the living room, Michael in his boxers and Sara wrapped in a throw blanket, eating their dinner while they watched something on television. Sara was leaning up against the side of the couch, her feet resting in Michael's lap, and he was resting his plate on her legs.

Sara finished eating first and leaned over, placing her empty plate on the coffee table. Leaning her head back against the arm of the couch, she turned her attention from the television to Michael. After a few moments, Michael felt eyes on him and knew he was being watched. Turning his head to look at her, he raised an eyebrow.

"Yes?" he asked, a small smile on his face. She smiled and shook her head.

"I was just … admiring you," she said. He smiled and leaned forward, placing his plate on the table next to hers, then sat back against the back of the couch. His hands reached down and ran over her legs gently.

"Is that so?" he asked. She nodded. His hands slid down to her feet and he began absently massaging them. "Is there much to be admiring?" he asked. She nodded again and his smile grew. "Well then, admire away," he said. She smiled and then giggled when he began tickling the bottom of her feet instead of massaging.

"Michael," she scolded, moving her feet from his lap and sitting up. She scooted closer to him and ran her hand over his scalp before leaning in and kissing his cheek. Her lips moved from his cheek to his ear and she took his earlobe into her mouth and began nibbling on it. Michael's eyelids fluttered shut. "I think," she said softly, while her teeth were clamped down on his lobe, "that you forgot to punish me for doing this to you while you were at work," she finished, then clamped her lips around the lobe and pulled. Michael sucked in a breath and grabbed one of Sara's arms, pulling it, while his other arm wrapped around her waist.

"You know what? I think you're right," he said. He pulled her into his lap and she let his earlobe go, turning her face towards him.

"And what are you going to do about that?" she asked, letting the throw blanket that had been covering her slip a little to reveal more skin.

"I think that I'm going to take you to bed and show you who's boss," he said, standing up and picking her up. Sara giggled and Michael slid his arm under her knees when she wrapped her arms around his neck, and he carried her back into her bedroom, kicking the door shut behind him.

-----

Michael was late to work the next day, and he blamed it completely on Sara. She was forceful when she wanted to be, and she had held him captive in that apartment. Not that he couldn't have left, but he really had no desire to. Joining him in the shower just lead to other things, and before he knew it, he was an hour late and hadn't even gotten dressed yet.

Sitting at his desk, trying to get caught up and make up for the hour and a half he missed, he couldn't stop thinking about how amazing the past few weeks had been with her. He was definitely in love, he was more sure of it than he was about anything else. Licking his lips, he turned back to his computer screen and noticed that an e-mail from Sucre was in his inbox. He opened it up and read what said.

_Michael-_

_Hey, man. You remember that campground outside town that we all used to get together at when we were still in college? Well I got the idea to bring Maricruz, and I think you should bring Sara. It will be a lot of fun! Just let me know if you're coming. I haven't seen you in awhile, it could be a really good time!_

_-Sucre_

Michael reread the e-mail and then smiled. A weekend with his old friends from college would be fun … especially if he could bring Sara. He hadn't seen Sucre in a long time. Picking up his phone, he dialed Sara's cell phone number and waited for her to answer. She was at the hospital, so he wasn't sure if she would. Sure enough, it went to her voicemail and he cleared his throat, leaving her a message.

"Hey babe, it's me. I had a question for you, so give me a call at my desk as soon as you get this. Talk to you later," he hung up the phone. He replied to Sucre's e-mail with one of his own.

_Sucre-_

_I'm definitely up for going to the campground this weekend. I think it could really be a good time. I'll bring it up to Sara, I'm not sure if she's working this weekend or not. But definitely count me in, and possibly Sara as well. I'll let you know when I hear back from her._

_-Michael_

A few hours later, Michael was immersed in a project for a local business looking to expand their building by a few floors when his desk phone rang. He glanced at it for a moment and then decided to answer it. Picking it up, he dropped his pen out of his other hand and leaned back in his chair, his free hand rubbing his eyes.

"This is Michael Scofield," he said. He glanced at his watch and realized that he was, once again, staying past five. It was 6:30pm.

"Hey you," it was Sara. Michael instantly smiled.

"Hey. Did you get my message earlier?" he asked.

"Oh, no. I'm sorry. I saw that I had missed a call from you, but I didn't listen to the voicemail," she apologized.

"Don't worry about it. I just said that I needed you to call me. Are you still at work?"

"No … I only worked the eight hours required of me today. Which is more than I can say for you," she said. Michael laughed a little bit and shrugged.

"You know me. I get involved in something and I can't leave until it's finished."

"I'm betting I can entice you to leave," Sara said, her voice lowering. Michael snickered.

"I'm betting you can. But I should really finish this proposal before I go," he said, sighing.

"All work and no play makes Michael a dull boy," she teased.

"Yeah, yeah. I know. But hey, I'll give you a call when I'm leaving, okay?" he asked.

"Are you coming over tonight?" she asked.

"I can, if you want me to," he smiled. He had every desire to finish this proposal and get out of there as soon as possible now.

"I want you to," she said. He smiled and nodded.

"Okay. I'll call you when I'm on my way over. I have something I want to talk to you about anyway," he said.

"Sounds good. I'll talk to you then. Don't be long," she begged. He smiled again.

"I won't. I'll wrap things up. See you in a little bit."

"Bye, Michael."

Michael hung up his phone and turned back to his desk, working more on the proposal and getting to a place so he wouldn't be lost in the morning when he came back to it.

In about fifteen minutes he was ready to shut down his computer and go home. He packed up his stuff and pulled on his jacket, heading out to his car. Opening the door, he slipped inside and started the drive to Sara's apartment. He gave Lincoln a call to let him know he wouldn't be home again tonight. Lincoln was getting impatient about the girl Michael was seeing, he wanted to meet her. But Michael kept telling Lincoln that he didn't want to jinx it and that he'd bring her home to meet Lincoln when he was ready to.

Pulling into Sara's apartment complex, Michael got out and went up to the door, hitting the buzzer. Sara asked who it was, and then once she knew it was him, she let him up. He took the stairs two at a time and then noticed her door was open when he got up there. Pushing it open, he went inside and closed the door behind him.

"Sara?" he called. He found her in the kitchen, making pirogues and smoked sausage. He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, kissing the back of her neck. "Hey, you," he said, smiling as he rested his chin on the top of her head. She flipped the pirogues and then turned around in his arms, wrapping hers around his neck, giving him a kiss.

"Hey there," she smiled. She still got those butterflies in her stomach whenever he touched her, whenever he looked at her, and especially whenever he smiled at her. His smile still melted her heart on a daily basis. Michael cleared his throat and gave her forehead a kiss before letting go of her and moving to the fridge to look for something to drink.

"So how long until those are done?" he asked, settling on a soda he found, leaning against the counter and popping the can open, taking a sip.

"About ten minutes," Sara answered, glancing over at him. She gave him a smile and he returned it, setting his soda can on the countertop. Pushing himself off the counter, he moved closer to her.

"Do you work this weekend?" he asked her, raising a brow at her. She turned around and leaned against the stove, spatula in hand.

"Yeah … why?" she asked. Michael frowned for a moment.

"Do you think you'd be able to get anyone to cover for you?" he asked, somewhat hopefully.

"I could attempt it, but I'm not sure how many people who have the weekend off are going to want to take a shift for me," she said. Her eyebrow rose further and she cocked her head to the side. "What's going on in that pretty head of yours?" she asked.

"Well, my friend Sucre, from college, he sent me an e-mail today, telling me that he and his fiancé are going to a campground that we used to go to all the time when we were in college. He asked me if I wanted to go, and bring you," he informed her. Sara crossed her arms and glanced at him for a few moments.

"So. You're saying that you want me to find someone to cover my shift at the hospital, so I can go away for a weekend with you and meet some of your friends?" she asked. Michael shrugged.

"Only if you want to. I'm not going to force you to do anything you don't want to," he assured her. Sara smiled and nodded.

"How could I turn down a weekend away with you?" she asked, and Michael smiled. "I'll make some calls tonight, see if I can get one of my friends at work to cover for me this weekend," she said. She walked over to Michael and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I knew you'd come. I mean, you can't resist my Scofield charm and my boyish good looks," Michael smirked. Sara laughed and put a finger to his lips.

"Oh, shut up and kiss me," she said. Michael smirked and obeyed, pressing his lips to hers. After a few moments he could hear the frying pan sizzling, and he broke the kiss.

"As much as I love your kisses … I'd rather not eat a burned dinner tonight," he smirked, his eyes moving to the frying pan. Sara rolled her eyes and smacked his arm.

"You're lucky you're eating any dinner tonight after a comment like that," she teased, moving back to the stove. Michael smiled and watched her walk back to the stove to finish making their dinner.

End Chapter Twelve

05.02.2007


	13. Chapter 13

Author's Chapter Notes:

Hey guys. I know it's been FOREVER since the last update, and I apologize. I got fired from my job and really had to fight to make ends meet there for awhile. Everything's okay now, though, and I'm working on the story more often! Thank you to everyone who hung in there while waiting for the next chapter, and I really do apologize for the long wait. I hope I still have readers out there!

A Recipe For Disaster

Chapter Thirteen

Sara had managed to find someone to cover her shift once she told her friend Shannon about Michael wanting to go away for the weekend. Shannon offered to take her shift and told Sara to go and to have a good time. Excited, Sara had told Michael the news right away.

Michael spend the rest of the week at his apartment, spending some time with his brother since Lincoln was starting to get annoyed that Michael was never home anymore. He told Lincoln about going away for the weekend with Sucre.

Friday rolled around and Michael had taken the day off, spending his morning getting clothes and other stuff that he'd need together for the drive out to the campground. Once his stuff was together, he went to say goodbye to Lincoln, but he wasn't home. Shrugging, he quickly scribbled a note to his brother and stuck it to the front of the fridge, heading outside and down to his car. Opening the trunk, he threw his bag into the space and then got into the front seat. He drove to Sara's apartment and rang the buzzer once he arrived.

"Yeah?" Sara called down in the intercom. Michael leaned forward and hit the button.

"It's me, let me up," he said. The buzzer sounded and he opened the door, taking the stairs two at a time. Rapping on the door with his knuckles, he waited for it to open. Sara opened the door and smiled at Michael, leaning forward and giving him a kiss, letting him into the apartment.

"I'm almost ready, I promise," she said. She seemed flustered and Michael smirked.

"This was why I made sure to get here early, because I knew you wouldn't be ready to go," he said. He followed her into the bedroom and helped her put the rest of the clothes into her bag. "Jesus, Sara. We're only going to be there for a few nights. What's with all the clothes?" he laughed.

"Shut up, Michael, and help me close this," she said, a small smile on her face. Michael pulled the bag closed and let her zip it.

"I don't know if this is going to fit in my trunk, woman," he teased. Sara smacked his arm and then grabbed her flip flops off the chair in her room, slipping them on.

"Smartass," she grumbled a little bit. He laughed and carried her duffle bag over to the door, setting it down and heading into the kitchen. He grabbed a soda and cracked it open, taking a sip as he waited for her to finish getting ready. Leaning against the counter, he smiled, watching her run around the apartment.

Setting down the can behind him, he pushed himself off the counter and walked over to her, grabbing her by the shoulders and pressing his lips to hers. She hesitated for a moment before returning the kiss. When he pulled away, she raised a brow at him.

"What was that for?" she asked, her brow still raised. He smiled.

"Because you're so cute," he kissed her once more and then pulled away. "Now, I think you've got everything you need. Can we go?" he asked her. She glanced around her apartment once more and then nodded.

"Yes, we can go," she agreed. Michael grabbed the can of soda off the counter and then picked up her duffle bag with his other hand. He carried the stuff down to the car and handed her his soda while he shoved her bag into the trunk.

"There," he nodded, closing the trunk and taking his soda back.

"What if I need something from there?" she asked, raising a brow at him. He laughed.

"Then you're S.O.L., baby," he said, opening the door and sliding into the driver's seat. Sara shook her head and then got into the passenger seat.

And, they were off.

-----

The ride to the campground where they were meeting Michael's friends was pretty uneventful. They sat in the car and listened to music, carrying on a conversation. The drive took an hour and a half, and by the time they reached the campground, Michael was more than ready to get out and stretch his legs. He pulled his car around to the spot where he and his friends always put up their tents, and smiled when he saw a tent already pitched. Getting out of the car, he took a moment to stretch and Sara did the same. Grabbing her hand, he lead her over to where Sucre and Maricruz were.

Sucre was the first to notice Michael walking over and smiled, heading over and giving his friend a hug. Sara stood aside and smiled, she was glad that Michael wanted her to meet his friends. That was a big part of seeing if a relationship would last, depending on whether the friends liked you or not. Sucre turned his attention to Sara and smiled, pulling her into a hug as well. Sara laughed and half-hugged him back. Michael smiled.

"Sucre, this is Sara. Sara, this is my best friend Sucre," Michael introduced them. Sucre smiled and let Sara go.

"It's so nice to meet you, Michael talks about you all the time," Sucre informed her, and she smiled, turning to face Michael.

"Is that so?" she asked. Michael smiled and slid his arm around Sara's shoulders, pulling her close.

"It definitely is so," he said, kissing the side of her head. Sucre smiled. "Where's Maricruz?" Michael asked, turning his attention back to his friend.

"She's already went off to see if the bathrooms are something she can live with," he said, smiling as he shook his head. Sucre pretended to be annoyed, but Michael knew that he loved Maricruz more than anything. As if on cue, a beautiful woman came up behind Sucre and had a grossed out look on her face.

"They're not i horrible /i , but they're not exactly clean either," she said, then she turned her eyes on Michael and Sara. "Michael! So good to see you," she said, reaching out to give Michael a hug. Michael returned the hug and then turned to Sara.

"Maricruz, this is Sara. Sara, this is Sucre's fiancé Maricruz," he then introduced the women. Sara and Maricruz hit it off right away and went off, leaving Michael and Sucre to pitch the tent that Sara and Michael would be sleeping in.

-----

About an hour later, the tents were pitched and there was a fire going. Michael, Sara, Sucre, and Maricruz were all sitting around the fire, telling stories.

"So, tell me. How did you and Sara meet?" Maricruz asked, glancing over at Michael. Michael and Sara looked at each other and exchanged a small smile.

"Well, she was originally engaged to Lincoln," Michael began.

"Yeah, but I still couldn't figure out why I agreed to marry him," Sara butted in. "I knew that I didn't love him, I just kept thinking that the love would come with time," she said.

"And we met when I came home from the year I spent in Washington, and I was instantly attracted to her. So I stayed away from her as much as I could," he said.

"I had already been questioning whether or not I wanted to continue with the engagement to Lincoln when I met Michael, and it was instant attraction on my end as well," she said.

"Lincoln was working all the time, so he asked me to take Sara to look at reception halls and stuff like that, and while we were hanging out, she told me that she didn't think that things would work out between she and Lincoln. And I knew I had feelings for her, so I decided to stay away from her."

"And I eventually grew a pair and talked to Lincoln, telling him that I didn't love him, and that I didn't think we would work out as a married couple. I told him that we should just be friends."

"Meanwhile, I'm stuck playing the mediator, because Lincoln's telling me all this stuff about Sara, Sara's telling me all this stuff about Lincoln. It was a pain in the ass," Michael laughed.

"But so I realized that I had feelings for Michael, so I went to him and confessed my feelings for him. But he didn't want to betray his brother."

"I couldn't stay away from her too long after knowing she felt the same way about me that I did for her, though. So … that's about it in a nutshell," Michael glanced at Sara and grabbed her hand, pulling it to his mouth and kissing it.

"That's kind of romantic in a way," Maricruz said, smiling at them. She glanced over at Sucre and scooted closer to him, leaning against his shoulder. "So Lincoln is okay with the two of you seeing each other?" she asked. Michael and Sara looked at each other.

"We haven't exactly told him," Michael confessed, glancing down at his hand. He already felt guilty enough not telling Lincoln about he and Sara.

"You haven't told him?" Sucre asked. He wasn't aware of that part. Michael shook his head.

"I don't want to hurt him," he justified, shrugging his shoulders.

"Michael, you need to tell him," Maricruz insisted. Michael and Sara both nodded.

"We know. We're going to tell him soon," Sara said. Michael nodded.

"Just make sure you do. You wouldn't want him finding out from someone else, or finding out on his own," Sucre advised.

The conversation turned to much better things, Sucre and Maricruz talked about their upcoming wedding. Sucre asked Michael to be the best man and he agreed. Michael and Sucre cooked hot dogs on the campfire and they are those for dinner. Maricruz and Sucre retired into their tent early, leaving just Michael and Sara outside at the campfire.

Sara moved so she was sitting in front of Michael on a blanket, and Michael had his arms wrapped around her, his chin resting on her shoulder.

"This is nice," she said softly, her head leaning back to rest on his shoulder. He smiled and nodded.

"It really is. Nothing to worry about, just here in nature," he agreed. She turned her head to face him and kissed his cheek.

"Let's just stay here. Not go back," she said. Michael smiled and turned his head to face her, giving her a kiss on the lips.

"I think that sounds like a fantastic idea. Although, I might start to miss my bed after awhile. Sleeping on air mattresses isn't all that it's cracked up to be," he said, giving her a smile. She laughed.

"Yeah, that's true. And I'll start to miss my nice clean bathroom," she said. Michael laughed and shook his head.

"But seriously. I'm glad you agreed to come out here with me," he said, his eyes searching for hers and locking on once they found them.

"I am, too," she said, smiling. They met for a kiss that was meant to be soft and gentle, but their passion and love for each other took over and it quickly became heated. Michael's hands slid up and tangled in Sara's hair while she turned and straddled his legs, her hands running up his arms and holding onto his biceps. They kissed for a few moments longer and then Michael broke the kiss, trailing soft gentle kisses down Sara's jawline to her ear, sucking on the lobe.

"We should go into the tent," he mumbled against her skin. She pulled away from him and glanced around, the campground was dead silent. The only sounds she could hear were coming from the crackling fire next to them. Their campground lot was pretty secluded to begin with as well.

"Hmm, I don't think so," she said. Michael raised a brow at her.

"You don't think so?" he asked, his hands sliding up the back of her shirt and his fingertips ghosting over the skin on her back. She shivered slightly and shook her head.

"Nope. I think you should go get a blanket from our tent," she said, leaning in to suck on his earlobe for a moment. "And then, I want you to make love to me under the stars," she whispered. Michael shivered this time, clearing his throat.

"Why, Miss Tancredi, I never knew you were quite the exhibitionist," he smirked. She giggled against his skin and dragged her tongue down his neck to his adam's apple, giving it a kiss before pulling away.

"I never was until I met you," she smiled. He gave her another kiss and then pulled away, moving into the tent to grab another blanket. While in there, he grabbed a condom from his duffle bag, slipping it into his pocket. Carrying the blanket back out to the fire, he smiled as he saw her lying on her back, looking up at the stars. She was so beautiful.

"One extra blanket. Check," he said, dropping the blanket down on the ground next to her. He moved down to hover above her, pressing his lips to hers in a heated kiss, devouring her lips with his. Her arms wrapped around him and held him to her, running her hands up and down his back.

Michael's hand slid under the hem of Sara's shirt, trailing up her stomach and taking the shirt with him. He broke the kiss only long enough to pull her shirt off, tossing it aside. He trailed kisses down her neck to her chest, placing soft kisses all along her upper chest. He kissed over her breasts, still trapped inside the cloth of her bra. Sara's eyes fluttered closed and she licked her lips.

"Michael," she whispered his name. He smirked against her skin and slid his hands up her body as his kisses moved down to her stomach. He loved the way she reacted to him. Sara's hands moved around him to his back and she slid her hands up the back of his shirt, pulling it up with her. Once she got far enough up, he pulled away so she could pull it over his head and toss it aside to join her shirt.

"You are so beautiful," he said softly, his hand reaching up to caress her cheek. Sara smiled, looking up at him and running her hand over the top of his head.

"You say that so often that I'm starting to believe it," she said. He smiled and nodded.

"You should believe it. Because it's true," he assured her, then leaned down to kiss her again. A few minutes later, they had both shed their clothing and were underneath the second blanket that Michael had brought out from the tent. One of his hands were caressing Sara's breast while the other was holding him above her. She brought her hand up to his and guided it down to her center.

"Touch me, Michael," she whispered, her eyes gazing into his. He obeyed, his fingers finding her clit and rubbing it gently to begin, then slowly applying more pressure. Sara's eyes fluttered closed and she licked her lips, her hands reaching up to pull Michael's face down to meet hers again, kissing him hard on the lips. After a few moments, he trailed his kisses down to her neck, nipping at the skin the way he had come to learn she liked. "You're so good at that," she breathed softly, her voice low and husky. Michael smiled, pulling away to look at her.

"Well you taste so good, I can't really complain," he said, leaning down to continue teasing the skin of her neck. She licked her lips and then groaned softly when he came to a sweet spot, her eyes shut tightly.

"God, Michael," she whispered, arching her back a little. "Baby, please," she begged softly. Michael reached for his pants that were tossed to the side and dug in the pocket for the condom he put in there. Pulling it out, he ripped it open with his teeth and then slid it on, glancing down at her. He leaned down and kissed her hard as he pushed into her. Sara broke the kiss and let her head fall back to the blanket, her eyes closed as she bit her lip.

Michael ran his hands over her body and then leaned in to drag his lips across her neck while he thrust into her. He started out slow and gentle, but when she wrapped her legs around his waist, he increased the speed and strength of his thrusts. Sara held Michael's head to her neck, her eyes closed as she enjoyed the way he made love to her. She had never been with someone who she felt matched her so completely, she was so in love with him.

Finally managing to open her eyes, Sara looked up at the stars and the reality of the bad thing they were doing, making love in somewhat public, got to her and she felt excited. She tightened her legs around Michael's waist and pulled him closer to her, bringing his mouth to hers and kissing him hard. He continued to thrust into her, moaning at the way it felt. He felt complete when he entered her, he felt like he was home. He was so connected to her. Pulling out of the kiss, he buried his face in her neck, placing soft kisses along her skin.

"I love you," she said softly, her arms wrapping around him. He pulled back and looked down at her, smiling.

"I love you too," he replied, his eyes telling her that he was telling the truth. She leaned up and kissed him again, her breathing becoming labored as she came closer to climaxing. Breaking the kiss and dropping her head down to the blanket, she panted for a few moments, her eyes shut.

"Mmm, Michael," she moaned, sucking in a breath through her teeth. Michael angled his hips differently and hit a spot that made her cry out and her back arch. "Michael, don't stop," she begged. Michael continued thrusting and hitting the spot that she loved, burying his face into her neck. He was close, but he didn't want to go over the edge without her.

"Come on, Sara," he whispered huskily into her ear. His hand reached down and found her clit again, rubbing it as he continued thrusting. She cried out again and he smiled. "Shh," he teased, closing his eyes and continuing to rub her clit. Sara put one of her hands over her mouth as she went over the edge, crying out his name, muffled into her hand. The feel of her walls spasming around him pushed him over the edge, and he buried his face into her neck, biting the skin.

They laid there for a few moments afterward, just listening to the sound of each other's breathing getting back to normal. Michael rolled off of her onto his back, and she curled up against his side, drawing circles on his chest with her finger.

"That was nice, being under the stars," she commented softly. Michael smiled and glanced down at her.

"Yeah, it was," he agreed. After a few moments, he groaned. "Although I'll never know how you were comfortable with these sticks poking into your back," he said, moving around to try and avoid the sticks. To no avail. Sara laughed.

"I was a bit more focused on something else, to tell you the truth," she said. Michael smiled and kissed her forehead.

"Come on, let's go into the tent and lay on the air mattress. These sticks are driving me crazy," he said, standing up. He let Sara wrap the blanket around herself and he covered himself with their clothes. Once inside the tent, he dropped the clothes and headed over to their bags, grabbing a flashlight. Sara dropped onto the mattress that he had blown up earlier.

"What are you doing?" she asked, tilting her head to the side. Michael glanced up. He pulled out a pair of underwear and a tank top, tossing them at her.

"It gets kind of chilly out here at night. Plus, I don't think you'd want Sucre and Maricruz to walk in on your naked body, since I know you like to kick the covers off when you sleep," he smiled. Sara laughed and pulled the clothes on, watching as he pulled on a pair of pajama pants. He turned off the flashlight and headed over to the mattress, laying down and pulling the covers over them. Sara curled up against his side again and he tilted her head up, kissing her goodnight.

"Night," she said, then yawned, laying her head down on his chest and closing her eyes. Michael kissed the top of her head and smiled.

"Night, babe," he said. He closed his eyes and smiled to himself again. He couldn't remember ever being this happy.

End Chapter Thirteen

05.02.2007


	14. Chapter 14

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Hey everyone. LONG AWAITED chapter fourteen! Just FYI ... chapter fifteen and the epilogue are nearly completed, I just need to type them out. Which I will probably be doing sometime tonight, so you might get the rest of the story all tonight! If not tonight, then definitely tomorrow. Thanks for being so patient with me, my life got kind of crazy and I sincerely apologize to anyone who was getting annoyed with the whole waiting thing. BUT ... we're in the home stretch! Just hang in there for a little bit longer, and the story will be done! Patience is a virtue! )

A Recipe For Disaster

Chapter Fourteen

The rest of the camping trip went by okay. The four of them all had fun and Sara hit it off with Maricruz. By the end of the weekend, they were talking and laughing like they were old friends. It made Michael smile. He liked that Sara got along with his friends. He loved her, and expected her to be a part of his life for a long time.

On the ride back to Sara's apartment, Michael reached over and took Sara's hand. She smiled and interlocked fingers with him. Glancing over at her, he rolled his lips into his mouth briefly, and then cleared his throat. "So, did you have fun?" he asked her, returning his gaze to the road. Sara glanced over at him and smiled, nodding.

"Yeah, I had a blast. Your friends are so nice," she said. Michael smiled and gave her hand a quick squeeze.

"I had fun, too. And Sucre and Maricruz both loved you," he added, smiling at her. Sara rose a brow at him.

"Why do I have a feeling there's a 'but' coming? You have your 'but' face," she said. Michael couldn't help but laugh. She could read him like a book.

"'But' face? If I didn't love you, I'd be offended," he said. Sara laughed. "But, seriously, yeah. I did have a 'but' to add," he smiled. Sara snickered and shook her head.

"I knew it," she said. Michael smiled.

"Yeah, well. Time to get serious. I really hate this whole sneaking around behind Linc's back," he said. Sara rolled her lips into her mouth briefly.

"I do too," she agreed. Michael glanced over at her.

"So how about this. We tell him about us. I don't want him to find out from someone else. He'd never forgive me if that happened," he said. Sara smiled.

"Okay, we'll tell him," she nodded. Michael brought her hand to his mouth and placed a kiss on it.

-----

Lincoln was in the process of cleaning out his bedroom and moving furniture around. Emptying the dresser, Lincoln came across a set of keys. Smiling, he realized that he still had keys to Sara's apartment. Slipping the keys into his pocket, he made a mental note to return them to Sara. Finishing up on the work he was doing in the bedroom, Lincoln grabbed a quick sandwich and then headed over to Sara's apartment.

-----

After the two hour drive home, Michael and Sara finally pulled into the parking lot of her apartment complex. Shutting off the car, Michael popped his trunk and grabbed Sara's bag and started to close the trunk.

"Hey, why don't you grab your bags, too? I'll wash them and you can just leave those clothes here. Since you spend most nights here, anyway," she suggested. Michael smiled and rose a brow at her.

"You want me to leave my clothes here for you to wash?" he asked, a smirk on his face.

"Oh, shut up and carry the bags upstairs, macho man," Sara laughed, rolling her eyes and heading over to unlock the door. Once they were inside her apartment, Michael dropped the bags and plopped down on the couch. Sara smiled and grabbed two sodas out of the fridge and then came back to the couch, sitting next to him and handing him a soda.

"Thanks, babe," he said, taking the soda and opening it. He took a sip and then leaned his head back on the couch, closing his eyes. Sara rested her elbow on the back of the couch and watched him, a small smile on her face. After a few moments, a small smile spread across Michael's face.

"What are you smiling at?" she asked him, her smile still in place on her face. Michael's eyes remained closed.

"I can feel your eyes on me," he said. Sara smiled, running her hand through her hair. She got up off of the couch and took the soda can from him, setting it down next to her unopened one. Michael's eyes opened and he rose a brow, watching as she lowered herself onto his lap. He smirked, his hands immediately moving to her hips. "What are you doing?" he asked her.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" she asked, raising a brow right back at him. She reached down for the hem of his shirt and pulled at it, sliding her hands up his chest and bringing his shirt with her as she went. Lifting his shirt over his head, she smirked as she slid her hands down his bare chest. Michael rose a brow and licked his lips.

"You are just completely insatiable, aren't you?" he asked. Sara smiled and shrugged.

"Only when it comes to you. It should be a compliment, baby. I just can't get enough of you," she smirked. Michael laughed and slid his hand up her back, pulling her closer and pressing his lips to hers. Smirking against his lips, Sara wrapped her arms around his neck and returned his kiss. Michael's arms held her tighter to him and he smirked against her lips, running his hands over her back. After a few moments, Michael broke the kiss and leaned back against the couch, smiling at her.

"You are the absolute worst influence on me," he teased, running his hands over his body. Sara smirked and shook her head.

"I don't think so, Mr. Scofield. I think you're the one who is the bad influence," she told him. Michael smirked and shook his head.

"I don't think so," he said, but within the next minute he had stood up with her in his lap and turned around, dropping her onto the couch. Smirking down at her, he covered her body with his own, leaning in close to her and pressing his lips to hers. Sara slid her leg up to wrap around his waist and moaned softly against his lips. They were both so involved in each other that neither of them heard the knock on the door.

-----

Lincoln headed over to Sara's apartment, keys in hand. He rang the buzzer, but there was no answer. Deciding that he didn't want to leave them in her mailbox, he figured that he'd leave them in her apartment with a note. Using the keys to get inside, he headed up to Sara's apartment and was about to put the key in the keyhole. Figuring he'd knock to make sure he didn't walk in on anything, he rose his hand to the door and knocked. There was no answer. Shrugging, he used the keys to open the door.

After entering, he wished he hadn't. Sara was on her couch with some guy on top of her. And it looked like things were beginning to get hot and heavy. Embarrassed, he set the keys down and moved to leave, hoping they wouldn't notice him.

"Mmm … Michael," Sara's moan made Lincoln stop in his tracks. Turning back around, Lincoln took a closer look at the man Sara was with. At second glance, he recognized features of his. Mostly the closely shaven head. Gritting his teeth, Lincoln cleared his throat. He watched as Sara's eyes snapped open and registered who was in her apartment.

Sara glanced up at the sound of someone clearing their throat and was shocked to see Lincoln standing in her apartment. Her hands tightened on Michael's shoulders and he glanced up at her. Seeing that she was looking past him, he followed her line of vision and felt his stomach drop. Lincoln was standing there, looking at them with hurt in his eyes. Michael scrambled off of Sara and stood up.

"Lincoln-" he began, but Lincoln cut him off.

"No, I don't want to hear it, Michael," he said, holding his hand out. He looked from Michael to Sara and then shook his head. "I stopped by to return your keys," he said, then pointed to the keys sitting on the counter. He turned around and left the apartment.

Michael stood there for a moment before running his hands over his face. Sara sat up on the couch and put her hand to her forehead for a moment before standing up. She was grateful that they hadn't gotten any further in the stages of undress other than Michael's shirt. Everything else was still on. She moved over to Michael and put her hand on his shoulder. He turned to look at her and forced a smile on his face before moving to grab his shirt and pulling it on.

"I should go see if I can catch him," he said. He kissed Sara's forehead before leaving her apartment. Sara stood with her arms wrapped around herself for a moment before she decided to work on the laundry. Shaking her head as she sorted the clothing, she let out a sigh.

"What a great way to end such a great weekend," she said.

-----

By the time Michael got to his and Lincoln's apartment, he didn't expect to see Lincoln there. But, to his surprise, his brother was sitting in the living room on the couch. Michael stopped and crossed his arms across his chest. There was a few moments of silence before Michael finally spoke.

"Lincoln, I-" but Lincoln held up his hand to silence him.

"I don't want to hear it, Michael. Don't make any excuses, please," Lincoln said. Michael sighed. "You … how long has this been going on? With you and Sara?" he asked. Michael ran a hand over his face.

"Awhile," he said. He didn't want to lie to his brother.

"While Sara and I were still together?" he asked. Michael shook his head.

"No! Lincoln, no. Nothing happened between Sara and me until you guys called everything off," Michael assured him.

"So how did this happen exactly?" Lincoln asked. Michael cleared his throat. Lincoln's calm demeanor was beginning to be a little unnerving.

"Well, Sara and I hit it off – as friends – when you had us going on errands for the wedding. And then, after you and she broke things off, we still hung out as friends. And things progressed. We were going to tell you, though. I had planned on telling you when I got home, but you beat me to it," Michael crossed his arms again. Lincoln nodded slowly and then stood up.

"I need some time," he said, shaking his head and moving into the hall to go into the bedroom. Michael sighed and watched him walk, running his hands over his face.

"Lincoln, wait! I don't understand what the big problem is," he said, following his brother. Lincoln stopped and turned around.

"You're my brother, Michael. You betrayed me, went behind my back, and dated my ex-fiancé. And then hid it from me," he said. He crossed his arms. "I thought family came first, Michael. But apparently not," he shook his head and turned back down the hall toward the bedrooms. Michael watched him go and sighed, moving into his bedroom and flopping down on his bed. What was he going to do?

-----

When Michael woke up the next morning, Lincoln was gone. There was a note on the door that said not to call him, he'd call when he knew what was going on. Sighing, Michael took the note off the door and got ready for work. Once at work, he tried concentrating on a proposal he had to write, but his mind just wasn't staying focused. Tossing down his pen, he leaned back in his chair and ran his hands over his face. Just then, his phone rang and he groaned, reaching for it. Sighing as he picked it up, he cleared his throat.

"Scofield," he stated simply, rubbing his eyes with his fingers.

"Hey," it was Sara. Michael's eyes opened and his heart began to beat a little faster. He cleared his throat again.

"Hey, what's up?" he asked, closing his eyes and resting his head against the back of his chair. Sara hesitated a moment, then spoke again.

"Not much. I was just calling to see how things went with Lincoln last night. I didn't hear from you," she said. Michael rolled his lips into his mouth.

"Yeah, I know I didn't call, sorry," he said. After sighing softly, he continued. "Things didn't go so well last night. He was angry, thought we were dating behind his back while you two were engaged," he said.

"What? That's crazy! He's the one who cheated on me!" she said. Michael ran his hands over his face briefly before speaking.

"I know. But he got me thinking-" he started, but Sara cut him off.

"Michael Scofield, don't you dare do what I think you're about to do," she said, her voice a mix between annoyed and angry. Michael sighed.

"Sara, please. I think we should think about how this looks to Lincoln. He's my brother, he's always been there for me. I don't want our relationship to drive a wedge between us," he said.

"And what about my feelings? They don't matter?" Sara argued.

"That's not true. But Lincoln's my brother, and I was always taught that family comes first," he said. Sara was silent for a few moments.

"Fine. If that's the way you're going to be then I don't want anything to do with you. Goodbye," Sara hung up. Michael shook his head and hung up the phone, running his hands over his face. That went well.

-----

Sara hung up her phone and resisted the urge to throw it across the room. She had never been this upset over a breakup before. Sure, she had been upset, but she wanted to go to Michael's work, march up to his office, slap him, and then yell at him. And then, two minutes later, she wanted to go to him and beg him to change his mind. Shaking her head, she picked up her phone and called off work, then called Maricruz. She needed a friend right now. After a few minutes, Maricruz answered.

"Hello?"

"Maricruz? It's Sara. Can you talk?" Sara asked.

"Yeah, honey. What's up?" Maricruz asked. Sara ran a hand over her head and through her hair, feeling tears well up in her eyes, though she fought them off.

"Michael and I broke up," she told her friend.

"What?" Maricruz exclaimed. She didn't believe it.

"Lincoln found out, and Michael said family is more important. So he ended things," Sara explained.

"What an asshole!" Maricruz cursed, and Sara smiled a little bit.

"Listen, don't say anything to Sucre. I don't want it getting back to Michael that I'm calling you since you're technically his friends," Sara said, hiccupping a little from the tears she was holding back.

"Oh, shut up. I'm your friend, too. And I'm coming over," Maricruz said. Sara laughed.

"You don't have to come over," she protested.

"Shut up. I'm on my way," Sara laughed again.

"Thanks," she said. Maricruz said goodbye, and then she hung up and sat back against her couch, closing her eyes. She'd tell Maricruz all about it when she got there.

-----

Things were uneventful for the next few days. Michael and Sara avoided each other, not speaking. Both were upset about the way things ended, but Michael stood by his decision to end things with Sara. He didn't want any bad blood between himself and Lincoln.

He hadn't heard from Lincoln at all in the past week, and was beginning to get worried. Finally, the Friday after Lincoln left, Michael heard a key in the door. He was sitting on the couch, watching a movie. Glancing over at the door, he watched it open and Lincoln walked in … smiling.

"Hey," Michael said from the couch. Lincoln's head snapped to the couch and he had a surprised look on his face when he saw Michael.

"Hi, what are you doing here?" he asked. Michael's eyes widened.

"Uh … I live here?" he said. Lincoln laughed.

"Smartass. No, I mean … I thought you'd be out with Sara," he said. Michael shook his head.

"No, it didn't work out between us," he said. He didn't want to tell Lincoln he ended things with Sara because of him.

"Oh, sorry. Listen – I'm sorry for blowing up at you like that," he said. Michael shook his head.

"Don't worry about it. It's forgotten," he said. Lincoln slapped him on the back. "Where did you go, anyway? And why are you so happy?" Michael asked.

"I went back and stayed with Veronica for awhile. She's back from New York and is living here in Chicago again," Michael smiled.

"That's good. Do you think you two are going to get back together?" he asked. Lincoln shrugged.

"I don't know," he smiled. Michael nodded.

"Well that's great, Linc. I'm happy for you," he said. Lincoln nodded.

"She wants to see you. She hasn't seen you in years," he smiled. Michael nodded.

"Yeah, I miss Vee. It'd be nice to see her again," he said.

"What are you watching?" Lincoln asked, plopping next to Michael on the couch. Michael smiled, glad things were back to normal with his brother. But he couldn't help the pang in his chest as he thought about Sara.

-----

The weekend went by very slowly for Michael. He missed Sara very much, and it had been killing him. She had started calling him today. It was very hard for him to avoid her calls, and he had finally told his secretary not to let her calls through to him. He wondered if she was still trying to get a hold of him. Part of him hoped she was, just because he knew sooner or later he'd give into her. Sighing, he shook his head and ran his hands over his face. Just as he was turning back to his computer screen, he heard a bit of a commotion outside his office.

"Ma'am, you can't go in there!" Michael heard Kathy call. He rose a brow and glanced up at his door as it opened and someone came in. It was Sara. Michael stared at her and then Kathy came in behind her.

"Kathy-" he started, but she interrupted him.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Scofield. I tried to stop her, but she wasn't listening," she said. Michael nodded.

"It's okay, Kathy. Don't worry about it," he gave her a small smile, and she left his office. Michael shifted his gaze to Sara and kept it there for a few moments, neither of them speaking.

"So you told your secretary that you didn't want to see me?" she asked, still standing in the doorway.

"No, I told her I didn't want to see anyone," he corrected. She took a few steps into the office and closed the door.

"Michael, I miss you," she said quietly. Michael sighed and glanced down at his hands. "I love you, and you love me too. I know you do. Please, don't let this die," she motioned between them.

"Sara, I-" he began, but she shook her head and mobbed closer to him.

"Don't give me your bullshit about this being best for everyone, Michael. I'm not going to let you go that easily. I'm in love with you!" she continued, annunciating the word 'love'. Michael rolled his lips into his mouth, glancing out the window. When he turned around again, Sara was standing in front of him.

"I don't know what to tell you, Sara," he said softly, his eyes moving up and getting locked on hers.

"Tell me that you love me too," she begged, her soft hand reaching out and cupping his cheek. He closed his eyes.

"Sara, I…" he trailed off, but didn't move her hand away. Sara took a few more steps closer to him.

"Michael, please," she whispered, running her hand over his cheek. He turned his head and pressed his lips to her hand softly, raising his hand to hold her hand to his face. Opening his eyes to look at her, he could see tears in her eyes. Reaching his hand out, he wiped her tears away with his thumb.

"Don't cry," he begged, leaning in and resting his forehead against hers.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. Michael shook his head.

"Me too," he smiled slightly. Sara cupped his cheek. Michael tilted his head down a little bit and then pressed his lips to Sara's. He immediately felt at home, like this was where he belonged. Sara's eyelids fluttered closed and she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer, returning his kiss. Michael's arms slid around her waist and pulled her closer to him. They got lost in each other, like they usually did, and before they knew it they were against the wall in his office. Michael hands were running up the front of Sara's shirt, while his lisp trailed down her neck.

"Michael," Sara breathed out his name softly, here eyes closed as she held onto his shoulders. He kissed his way back to her mouth and groaned against it. As he was getting ready to pull her shirt off, the phone on his desk rang. He froze, somewhat coming back to reality. Pulling away from her slowly, he cleared his throat and moved over to his desk, picking up the phone. His back was to Sara to keep from looking at her.

"Hello?" he answered.

"Mike? Hey, it's Linc," Michael froze again at the sound of his brother's voice.

"Linc, hey. What's up?" he asked. Sara's head snapped up at the mention of Lincoln's name.

"Not much. When are you leaving? Want to go out with me and Veronica tonight?" he asked. Michael cleared his throat again.

"Um, yeah. Dinner with you and Vee sounds great. I'll be leaving soon," he said. He said goodbye to his brother and hung up, running his hands over his face. Turning around, he saw Sara standing there with her arms crossed. He opened his mouth to talk, but she cut him off.

"You don't have to say anything, Michael," she shook her head. "I already know what you're going to say."

"Sara, he's my brother," he shrugged.

"Exactly, Michael. He's your brother. And if he really loved you, he'd want you to be happy. Not make yourself miserable because he's upset that you're seeing me," she shook her head, wiping away a few silent tears that made their way down her cheeks as she walked out the door. Michael watched her go and then ran his hands over his head, kicking himself. He made his way out of his office to meet his brother, prepared to put on a fake smile.

End Chapter Fourteen

10.22.2007


	15. Chapter 15

Author's Notes: So ... as promised! Chapter fifteen! Okay, it's about a day late, but still. Better than being two months late, right? Haha. I don't really have much to say about this one ... just read and enjoy! And if you read, please let me know what you think by leave a review, okay? I really apprecaite them! )

A Recipe For Disaster

Chapter Fifteen

Over the next few days, Michael ignored Sara's phone calls and tried to act upbeat around his brother. He didn't want Lincoln to be upset or feel guilty. So he put a smile on his face around his brother and made sure to go out once in awhile so he didn't suspect. Lincoln had been hanging out with Veronica a lot lately, and Michael had gone out with them once or twice, but always felt like a third wheel, so he opted out the next time he was invited.

Tonight, he sat on the couch, watching a movie that was on television with a bowl of popcorn. Hearing the key in the lock, he cleared his throat and ran a hand over the top of his head. Popping a few kernels into his mouth, he smiled at his brother as he entered their apartment.

"Hey," he said. Lincoln nodded at his brother and plopped down on the sofa next to him, reaching out and grabbing a handful of popcorn.

"Yo. What are your plans for tonight?" he asked. Michael shrugged. "You should go out, have some fun," he suggested. Michael gave him a small smile.

"Are you trying to kick me out of the apartment so you can bring some chick back here?" he asked, raising a brow. Lincoln snickered.

"Maybe," he smirked. "But I really just want you to get out and have some fun," he insisted. Lincoln was not blind. He could tell that Michael wasn't very happy as of late. He knew his brother better than Michael thought he did. He could tell when a smile was being faked. That's just part of being a brother.

"Okay. I'll call Sucre and see if he and Maricruz want to meet me out somewhere," he said, then stood up. Lincoln smiled and opened his phone to call Veronica. Michael rolled his eyes. "Stay out of my room," he warned, then went to call his friend.

-----

About an hour later, Michael was sitting in a diner, drinking a cup of coffee with Sucre. Maricruz was busy, so she didn't come.

"So what exactly happened between you and Sara?" Sucre asked, taking a sip of his coffee and eating some of his cake. Michael took a deep breath and then told Sucre the story. Afterwards, he shrugged.

"I mean, I love her. But family is more important, and I don't' want to hurt Lincoln anymore," he said. Sucre stroked his chin for a few moments.

"Michael, you have to live for you, bro. Lincoln will get over it. But I saw the way you and Sara were, man. Love like that is once in a lifetime, and you can't give that up," he said. Michael shrugged.

"We'll see. I don't know," he shook his head.

"Well, Sara won't wait for you to come around forever, Michael. Keep that in mind," he said. Michael took a bite of his pie.

"I know," he said, taking another sip of coffee. The two of them sat in silence for a few minutes before deciding to pay the bill and get going.

"Just think about it," Sucre added, patting his friend on the back before going over to his car. Michael took a deep breath and nodded, watching Sucre drive away.

-----

A few days later, Lincoln & Veronica were at the grocery store, shopping for something to cook for dinner. Lincoln was picking up some fruit to make a fruit salad when he heard his name being called. Turning around, he was surprised to see Sara.

"Sara, hi. How are you?" he asked, crossing his arms across his chest. Sara shrugged.

"Not too bad. Still dealing with a broken heart, but you know, I'll live," she said. Lincoln frowned.

"What are you talking about? Michael told me that you guys broke things off, it wasn't working out between you. I assumed it was your decision, because he's been moping around the house like a sick puppy," he said. Sara shook her head.

"No, Lincoln. You freaked out when you saw us together, and I'm still not quite sure why. But Michael decided that we needed to be apart because you are more important than me to him. Family is the most important thing, and I don't know how you can't see that," she said, shaking her head.

"Lincoln?" Sara heard a female's voice and watched a raven-haired woman come up beside Lincoln and slip her arm around his waist. "Who's this?" the woman asked. Lincoln cleared his throat.

"Veronica, this is Sara. Sara, this is my girlfriend Veronica," Lincoln introduced. Sara smiled at Veronica.

"Oh … so this is Michael's Sara," Veronica said, returning Sara's smile.

"I'd like to be, but that's really up to Lincoln," Sara said, he gaze moving to the man in front of her. Her eyes stayed on him for a few moments before he looked away. "Anyway, it was nice to meet you, Veronica, and I hope we'll be able to see more of each other in the future," she directed her statement to the woman in front of her and smiled. Waving at the couple, she turned to leave.

"Sara, wait," Lincoln said, moving away from Veronica and towards where Sara was walking away. Sara stopped and turned around.

"Yes?" she said, tilting her head to the side.

"I, uh … I'm sorry Michael took things that way. I never meant for that to happen," he said honestly. He seriously thought that Michael and Sara just didn't work out. "I'll talk to him when I get home tonight, but listen. He's miserable without you, Sara. I'll talk to him, but he's stubborn. You might need to go after him," he stated.

"He must get his stubbornness from you," she said. Lincoln laughed.

"Yeah, probably. But don't let him push you away. You two belong together," he said. Sara smiled.

"Well thanks, Linc. I appreciate it," she said. She moved over and gave him a hug.

"It's the least I can do. Seeing as how I have this mopey little brother who spends his time sitting on the couch, watching movies," he said, pulling back from the hug and smiling at her.

"Okay, Lincoln. Thanks again. I have to get going, dinner won't make itself," she smiled.

"Bye Sara," he said, giving her a wave. He ran a hand over his head and turned back to Veronica. "I had no idea that Michael broke things off with her because of me," he said. Veronica smiled.

"Oh, honey. I could have told you that," she said.

"Then why didn't you?" he asked. She smiled and reached up, tapping the end of his nose with her finger.

"I knew you'd figure it out eventually," she stood up on her tippee toes and kissed him quickly.

"Yeah, yeah. You're so smart," he smiled. She nodded.

"Of course. I'm a woman," she smiled. Lincoln laughed and shook his head, following her as they moved to a different section of the grocery store.

-----

Later that night, after finally putting Veronica to bed after she'd fallen asleep on his shoulder on the couch, Lincoln headed to his and Michael's apartment. Once inside, he shook his head as he found his brother sitting on the couch. Plopping down next to him, he sighed loudly.

"Hey," Michael said, not really glancing up.

"Hey. You know, it kills me seeing you this miserable," Lincoln said softly, glancing down at his hands. Michael glanced over at his brother.

"What are you talking about? I'm not miserable," he protested. Lincoln gave him a look.

"Michael. You're my brother, I know you. You're not happy, I can tell," he said. Michael sighed, running his hand over his face.

"I'm fine, Linc. Promise," Michael insisted. Lincoln looked at him for a few moments.

"I ran into Sara today at the grocery store. She looks about as fine as you do," he said. Michael rolled his lips into his mouth. "Michael, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have overreacted the way I did when I saw you two. I just got freaked out, and I thought you had been going out behind my back while Sara and I were still together," Linc explained. Michael shook his head.

"I still can't believe you thought I would ever do that to you," he said.

"I don't know, I just freaked out. Heat of the moment and all, I guess," he shrugged. "But, Michael, she's crazy about you. And I know you're crazy about her, too," he insisted. Michael ran a hand over his head. "Listen," Lincoln continued, "you're going to do what you want. But just know that I want to see you happy. And if Sara makes you happy, then be with her," he said, and then nodded. He reached over and patted his brother on the knee, getting up off the couch and moved back into his bedroom.

Michael watched him go, running a hand over his head. He glanced down at his cell phone for a few moments, and then picked it up. He opened it and saw the picture he hadn't taken off the background of his phone yet. It was of he and Sara, during their camping trip, and taken by Sucre. They were embracing next to the fire, their arms around each other and lips pressed together. He stared at the picture for a few moments before punching in Sara's number. He sat for a few moments before he closed his phone without pressing the 'send' button. Shaking his head, he got up and went into his room to go to sleep.

-----

The next day at work, Michael found it hard to concentrate. He kept thinking about Sara and it was clouding his mind, making it hard for him to pay attention in the staff meeting he was attending. Running his hands over his face, he took a sip of his coffee and breathed a sigh of relief when the meeting ended. Gathering his stuff, he moved out of the conference room and down the hall, back to his office. Sitting down at his desk, he pulled up the Excel spreadsheet he had been working on and started punching in some numbers. His phone rang, and he glanced over at it, craning his neck to one side, then the other before picking it up.

"Yeah, Scofield," he greeted the caller.

"Wow. I didn't expect to get past your crazy secretary." Michael's eyes snapped open at the sound of Sara's voice. For a split second, he wondered why Kathy hadn't stopped the call from coming through, and then he remembered that she was off today and that his calls came right to him.

"She's not crazy. And she's off today," he stated, switching the receiver from one ear to the other.

"Oh, so the only way you'll talk to me is if you accidentally answer the call?" she asked, sarcasm dripping from her tongue. Michael sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Sara, please. I don't have time for this today, I'm busy," he lied.

"I'm not going to let you push me away, Michael. I love you too much to let you go. And I know you love me too," she said. Michael ran a hand over his head.

"Sara," he started off, but the more he heard her voice, the more he missed her. And hearing the tears in her voice killed him. "I'll tell you what. I'll stop by when I get out of work today, and we can talk. Okay?" he suggested.

"Okay. Do you know around what time?" she asked.

"Around six," he answered.

"I'll see you then," she said, then hung up before Michael could change his mind. Michael hung up as well, staring at the receiver. He ran his hands over his face, wondering how he was going to make it through the rest of the day, knowing he was going to see Sara later. Maybe they would work things out and be together again. He missed her so much, and just hearing her voice showed him how much. She as right, he did love her, and he didn't want to let her go either.

-----

After getting off the phone with Michael, Sara stood up and wiped the tears off of her cheeks, heading to the bathroom to take a shower. She knew Michael wouldn't eat while at work, so she would make him something to eat. Nothing extravagant, but just something simple. Hamburgers sounded good.

While showering, she thought about how happy she was to hear his voice. Sure, she'd heard it on his voicemail plenty of times, but to hear him say her name? God, she missed him. And she loved him so much that it hurt sometimes. It scared her, as much as it excited her. She'd never felt this way about someone before, Michael was her one and only. And she just hoped that talking tonight went well, because she didn't think she could handle the heartbreak of losing him again, this time for good.

Once she got out of the shower, she headed to the grocery store to get the ingredients for hamburgers, calling Maricruz on the way. She told her how she finally talked to Michael, and that he was coming over to talk about things. Maricruz seemed about as excited as Sara, which made her smile. After getting everything she needed form the store, Sara headed back home to begin cooking.

-----

The day seemed to creep by slower than ever for Michael. Now that he made up his mind about going to see Sara, he wanted to day to be over right then. Finally, 5:30 rolled around, and he got ready to go. Shutting down his computer, he grabbed his suit jacket and slung it over his arm, turning off the lights as he left his office.

Walking down to his car, he tossed his jacket over onto the passenger seat and got in. Starting the car, he couldn't believe the insane amount of butterflies in his stomach. He was nervous. He kept telling himself that it was just Sara, but he hadn't seen Sara in person in almost a month. He missed her so much, though, so he knew it was time.

The drive was just like second nature to him, he'd made it so many times before. Pulling into Sara's apartment complex at about 5:45, Michael parked in a visitor parking spot, getting out and locking his doors. Glancing around for a minute, he took a deep breath and went up to the door, hitting the buzzer for Sara's apartment. After a few moments he heard Sara's voice.

"Who is it?" she asked.

"It's Michael," he replied. A minute later there was a buzz, unlocking the door. Michael pulled it open and took the steps two at a time, stopping at Sara's door. He raised his hand and knocked, waiting.

-----

Sara was stirring the hash browns in the frying pan when she heard a knock on her door. Running a hand through her hair, she stopped to make sure she looked okay. Sure, it was only Michael, but she didn't want to look like a wreck. Her jeans were worn, but fit perfectly, and her blue long-sleeve t-shirt had the sleeves rolled up, and her hair was left down. Nodding at her reflection, she moved to the door and pulled it open. She gave Michael a smile, it was so great to see him.

"Hi," she said softly, leaning against the doorframe. Michael couldn't help the smile that crossed his face at seeing her.

"Hi," he responded. He couldn't help it, he moved forward and wrapped his arms around her, hugging her. Sara was taken aback by the sudden movement, but responded after a few moments by wrapping her arms around him. The scent of him filled her nostrils and she thought she might get dizzy and pass out. Instead, she just held onto him tighter.

"I missed you," she whispered, burying her face into his neck. Michael closed his eyes and nodded.

"Me too," he stated. He missed everything about her. The smell of her shampoo, the brightness of her smile. The way she made his heart beat faster with just a look. After standing in the doorway, locked in an embrace for what seemed like forever, Sara pulled back first, gesturing for him to come further into the apartment. He followed her in and she shut the door, moving into the kitchen.

"I'm cooking hamburgers. I know you don't eat at work, figured you might want a bite," she explained. Taking the food off the stove and setting it on the table, she grabbed two sodas out of the fridge.

"Thanks," Michael said, sitting down at the table and making a plate. They sat together in an awkward silence for a few minutes. Finally, Sara set down her fork.

"I hate this," she stated. Michael glanced up.

"Hate what?" he asked.

"This," she motioned between them. "Why is this so damn awkward?" she asked. Michael set down his fork as well, shrugging.

"I don't know. I don't want it to be," he admitted.

"Can't we go back to the way things were? I miss you, Michael. And I love you so much," Sara said. Michael glanced up at her and noticed that her eyes were full of unshed tears. "We can make this work, Michael. Lincoln just wants you to be happy. Didn't I make you happy?" she asked, some of the tears in her eyes spilling over onto her cheeks. Michael's heart broke, seeing her cry.

"Of course you made me happy, Sara. I was happier with you than I had been in my entire life," he admitted. Sara wiped at her cheeks

"Then why are you pushing me away?" she asked. Michael opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He realized that he didn't have an answer to that question. He had no reason to be pushing her away. He loved her so much and she loved him too. Lincoln was happy with Veronica, and had told him that he wanted Michael and Sara to be together. He had no real reason to push her away. Reaching his hand out to touch her cheek, Sara's eyes closed and a few fresh tears escaped, rolling down her cheeks. Michael's thumb reached out to catch them, wiping them away.

"I don't know," he answered honestly. Standing up, he moved closer to her, squatting down next to her chair so he was level with her. Her eyes followed him as he moved, watching as he squatted next to her.

"Michael, I—" Sara started, but Michael put his finger to her lips.

"Shh. I'm so sorry, baby," he said, his eyes locked on hers. Taking one of her hands in his, he stood up and pulled her up as well. Wrapping his arms around her, he held her close to him. "I'm so sorry I was such an idiot," he continued. Sara's arms went around him and pulled his head back so she could look at him.

"You were an idiot," she said. Michael cracked a smile. "But I love you, so I'll forgive you," she said. Michael's smile grew.

"I love you too, baby," he said. A smile spread across Sara's lips. Michael leaned in closer to her and she closed the distance between them, pressing her lips to his. Her arms wrapped around his neck and held him close while he slid his around her waist. He felt dizzy and lightheaded, Sara's kisses always had that effect on him. She was intoxicating, and he loved every minute of it. They pulled apart after a few moments and Michael rested his forehead against hers, his hand moving up to slide through her soft hair, tucking some of it behind her ear. Sara rolled her lips into her mouth momentarily, and then spoke.

"Don't you ever do that to me again," she warned. Michael laughed, letting go of her.

"I wouldn't dream of it," he smiled.

"Good," she nodded and then pulled him back to her, kissing him again. Dinner was completely forgotten as they got lost in each other, having spent way too much time apart. Michael's mouth devoured Sara's, and she returned his kisses with as much passion and fire as he gave her. He began walking her backwards, and when her back hit the wall, she groaned, breaking the kiss.

They gazed into each other's eyes for a few moments, the fire ignited in both of their eyes again. Michael reached down and slid his arm behind Sara's knees, lifting her up and carrying her towards her bedroom. She turned his head to her and kissed him again as he carried her, and surprisingly, he didn't run into anything while he carried her to the bedroom. Once there, he broke the kiss and set her down gently on the bed, and she scurried to her knees, grabbing him by his tie and pulling him closer to the bed. She pressed her lips to his again, her hands moving down to the waistband of his pants, undoing his belt and pulling it out of the belt loops, throwing it aside.

Michael's hands moved up to cup her cheeks as they kissed, and she undid his pants, pushing them down. Slowly, they both undressed each other, tossing clothes aside and not caring where they ended up. Michael pushed Sara back onto the bed once they were both undressed and covered her body with his own, his hands brushing her hair out of her face. Leaning down, he kissed her again, his lips staying on hers for a moment before trailing down her neck and sucking on the skin there. Sara moaned his name softly, closing her eyes and holding his head to her neck.

"Michael, please," she begged, pulling his head back to look at her. "I can't wait any longer. Make love to me, please," she continued, her eyes pleading with him. He smiled and leaned down, pressing his lips to hers. In one fluid moment, he pushed himself into her, and they broke the kiss, both groaning at the contact. Michael felt home, like this was where he belonged. He never should have left her, she was his entire world.

Sara's eyes glistened over with tears, she felt complete. Michael made her feel whole, like she was supposed to be with him. They were made for each other, they belonged together. There was no question about that fact in her opinion.

Their lovemaking was slow and gentle, Michael's thrusts at a steady pace. He wanted this to last, he wanted to be with her forever. Sara's arms were wrapped around his neck, pulling him down on top of her so their bodies crushed together, making it seem like they were one being.

"I love you, so much," Sara whispered as she neared her climax. Michael's thrusts sped up a little bit, his hands holding him up so he could hover above her, his lips pressing against hers.

"I love you too, Sara," he replied. Not long after, Sara climaxed and Michael came right behind her, burying his face into her neck and moaning her name. He collapsed on top of her and she wrapped her arms around him, holding him to her. Her hands slid over his back, up and down. After a few moments of just holding each other, Michael pushed himself up, smiling down at her.

Sara returned his smile, some of the tears from earlier still on her face. Michael leaned down and kissed the tears away, moving to give her lips another kiss. He rolled off of her and she rolled next to him, laying her head on his chest. He wrapped his arm around her and buried it into her hair, his hand gently massaging her scalp. Reaching down, he grabbed the sheet at the bottom of the bed and pulled it over them. They laid there in a comfortable silence, just listening to the sound of each other's breathing.

Finally, after about ten minutes, Sara spoke first. She lifted her head off his chest and glanced up at him, giving him a smile. "So, I can definitely eat now," she said. Michael laughed and nodded, silently agreeing. They got out of bed and pulled some clothes on, Michael pulling on his boxers and Sara pulling on Michael's shirt.

Moving out to the kitchen, they sat together and ate the dinner that Sara had cooked, now able to just talk and laugh, enjoying each other's company. Both were incredibly happy to be back together, it was true. They were made for each other.

End Chapter Fifteen

10.24.2007


	16. Epilogue

Author's Notes: OKAY GUYS! It's been a wild ride with this story, and I want to thank everyone that hung in there with me when it took awhile between updates. This is the last chapter, the epilogue, and I hope you enjoy it! SO ... without further ado ... the epilogue. )

A Recipe For Disaster

Epilogue

_Three Years Later_

The church was beautiful. Flowers everywhere, sunlight through the stained glass windows casting gorgeous shadows onto the tiled floor. Both sides of the church were packed, and the reception was going to be held at a banquet hall across town. All eyes were at the front of the church on the bride and the groom as they said their vows. Muffled sniffling came from a few women in the church, while they watched. Finally, the priest said those famous words.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

Lincoln turned to Veronica and lifted her veil, leaning in to press his lips to hers. She giggled against his lips, wrapping her arms around him. Everyone clapped their hands, and Lincoln & Veronica walked down the aisle and into a back room to sign all the paperwork, while everyone else filed out of the church. Michael wasn't far behind Lincoln, being the best man. And Sara was one of the bridesmaids, but Michael didn't see her outside. Craning his neck, he looking for his newly appointed fiancé. He had asked Sara to marry him about a month ago, and she had accepted. They hadn't made any wedding plans yet, but he was just happy knowing that she was going to be his forever. And likewise for him. He smiled as he spotted her walking out of the church, carrying a two-year-old little boy as she walked.

Michael moved to meet them near the door and smiled down at his nephew. He and Sara were going to be taking care of Lincoln Junior, or LJ as Lincoln had started calling him, while Lincoln and Veronica were on their honeymoon. LJ loved both Sara and Michael, and it helped that Michael had been known to spoil him. "Hey little man. You ready to go party?" he asked. LJ smiled and held his arms out to Michael, so he reached over and took the toddler from Sara. Once Lincoln and Veronica made their way out of the church, the wedding party followed them into their limo, and they made their way to the reception.

The reception was a long night of drinking, dancing, and fun. Lincoln had taken the DJ's microphone at one point and serenaded Veronica, horribly. To which she responded by attacking him with kisses so unexpected that they both fell over. Alcohol played a huge part in that scene, but it still made everyone laugh. Michael and Sara kept an eye on LJ, deciding to cut out early when the little boy started to get tired and rub his eyes.

They said their goodbyes to Lincoln and Veronica, and the newly married couple said their goodbyes to their son for the week they'd be gone. Finally, around 1am, Michael and Sara were back in their own car, on their way back to their apartment. Sara carried a sleeping LJ inside when they got home, and Michael carried the bags full of everything they'd need to take care of him for the week.

Michael went straight into the bedroom to change out of his suit, pulling on a pair of pajama pants and tossing the dirty clothes into the hamper. Making his way back out into the living room, he smiled as he saw Sara rocking LJ back and forth as he slept, humming a little lullaby to him. He leaned against the doorframe and watched for a few moments, smiling to himself.

"That's a sight I could get used to," he called softly from the doorway, and watched Sara's head glance over in his direction. She smiled and then glanced back down at the sleeping boy.

"Really? You want to have kids?" she asked, glancing back up at him after awhile. Nodding, Michael pushed himself off the doorframe, moving across the living room to where his fiancé stood, holding his nephew.

"Definitely. I want to have a bunch of kids with you," he assured her, his hand reaching out and smoothing down some of the boy's hair. "I think you'd make an amazing mother," he added. Sara cleared her throat and glanced up at Michael.

"I'm glad you think so," she said, biting her bottom lip. She had been putting off telling Michael her news for awhile now, but now seemed like a more perfect time than any other. "I'm pregnant, Michael," she said, glancing over at him and watching his face for a reaction. Michael's eyes widened and he swallowed, looking at her for a moment before a huge grin spread across his face.

"You're sure?" he asked her, his hand moving to cup one of her cheeks. Sara nodded.

"Yeah, I took a test at work," she informed him. Michael's smile grew.

"Sara, why didn't you tell me?" he asked. She shrugged.

"I don't know, I just wasn't sure how you'd react," she said, glancing back down at the toddler in her arms. She glanced back up at him after a few moments. "You're not mad, are you?" she asked. Michael shook his head.

"No, no, I'm not mad. I'm … a little shocked. And really excited," he said. Sara smiled. "How far along are you?" he asked.

"Only a month," she told him. "The doctor seems to think that I might have gotten pregnant when we took that vacation last month," she explained. Michael couldn't help the smile that crossed his face at the reminder about their vacation.

"Oh … yeah. That makes sense. We did have a lot of sex on that vacation," he laughed, almost unable to contain his excitement. He loved being an uncle, but now … he was going to be a DAD. Sara bent over, laying LJ down in the little bed-type thing they had for when he stayed the night, and then she turned to Michael.

"You're really okay with this?" she asked, crossing her arms across her chest. Michael reached out, taking her shoulders in his hands and smiling at her.

"Sara, I love you. You're my fiancé, and we're going to get married. I want to have children with you, I want to be with you for the rest of my life. I'm more than okay with this," he concluded. Sara smiled and flung her arms around him, kissing him hard on the lips.

"I love you too, baby," she said, smiling, once she pulled away. Michael returned her smile, and then bent down to pick up the bassinette type bed, carrying it into their bedroom while Sara followed. Once they both got into bed, Sara was wrapped up tight in Michael's arms.

"So, what do you think about names?" Michael asked, breaking the silence. Sara laughed and turned to look at him.

"Michael, baby, we've still got at least eight months for that," she said, brushing her bangs out of her face.

"Yeah, that's true," he said, then smiled at her. "I'm thinking Alex if it's a boy, and Kayla if it's a girl," he said. Sara laughed and rolled her eyes, laying her head down on the pillow and closing her eyes.

"We'll talk about it in the morning," she said.

"Or … what about Jacob for a boy, and Nicole for a girl?" he continued. Sara just smiled.

They were definitely in for a ride.

The End.

10.28.2007

End Chapter Notes: Aaand, that's it! I hope you guys enjoyed this story. Please take the time to drop a review in here and let me know what you thought about the ending, and any thoughts you might have about the way I ended things. I'm interested to see what you guys think! Thank you so much to those of you who have stuck by through every chapter for me, I really appreciate it! )


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